Noël Roquevert Movies
Strabismic French actor Noel Roquevert played comic character roles in over 150 of his country's films. He was usually cast as a close-minded, opinionated member of the bourgeois class. Roquevert got his start on-stage. In the early '20s, he and beloved French comic Max Linder traveled to Hollywood to make The Three Must-Get-Theres. Back in France, Roquevert returned to the stage. He began making frequent film appearances after the mid-'30s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Even someone who isn't conversant in French will probably be able to figure out that La Rose de la Mer translates as The Sea Rose. Fernard Ledoux stars as the rough-and-tough captain of an ancient sea vessel. Outwardly lovable, Ledoux is actually a cold-blooded conniver to whom life is very cheap. First mate Rogert Pigault figures out that the captain intends to scuttle the vessel and drown the crew, the better to collect a huge insurance settlement. It therefore comes as no surprise that the treacherous Ledoux is hoist on his own soggy petard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noël Roquevert, Fernand Ledoux, (more)
- 1943
Despite the exigencies of the Nazi occupation of France, veteran filmmaker Maurice Tourneur managed to turn out a classic psychological horror film, La Main du Diable (The Devil's Hand). A variation of the Faust legend, the film's "Mephistopheles" is a smarmy Vichy-government civil servant, brilliantly played by Palau. When struggling artist Pierre Fresnay sells his soul, Palau binds the bargain by giving the artist a severed, withered, yet "living" human hand. Years later, Pierre, on the verge of death, is forced to learn the identity of the man from whom the hand was stolen, lest he burn in eternal damnation. The film's highlight is a nocturnal gathering of all the previous owners of the hand who unfold their tales of woe to the beleaguered Pierre. Eventually, the hand is returned to its rightful owner, an ending that is at once happy and tragic. Like most of Tourneur's best works, The Devil's Hand is far better seen than described (prints are available, though most are in deplorable condition). Completed in 1942, the film finally made it to the U.S. several years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Fresnay, Antoine Balpêtré, (more)
A small French village is plagued by a poison-pen writer, whose principal target is Doctor Germain (Pierre Fresnay). The vitriolic letters wreak so much havoc that soon neighbor turns upon neighbor. Eventually, even the doctor himself becomes one of the suspects, as the townspeople are driven to commit paranoia-fueled crimes and suicides. The actual culprit is revealed to be one of the least likely candidates. Though it can now be seen to be a subliminal indictment of the paranoia fomented by the Nazi occupation of France, Le Corbeau (aka The Raven) was condemned as unpatriotic after the liberation, and director Henri-Georges Clouzot was banned from filmmaking until 1947. Based on a story by Clouzot and Louis Chavance, Le Corbeau was remade in Hollywood by Otto Preminger as The 13th Letter (1951). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Fresnay, Pierre Larquey, (more)
- 1942
Director Henri-Georges Clouzot's maiden feature-length effort was the intricate mystery thriller The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (L'Assassin habite au 21). Businesslike homicide detective Wens (Pierre Fresnay) goes on the prowl for a methodical mass murderer, who seemingly manages to be everywhere at once. Following a confusing trail of clues to a seedy boarding house, Wens disguises himself as a clergyman in order to gain the confidence of the boarders, hoping that one of them will make "that fatal slip." All of the boarders are eventually taken into custody, only to be released when the murders continue unabated. Wens cracks the case when he figures out that the seemingly contradictory clues are the by-product of a bizarre conspiracy. Filmed in 1942 under wartime conditions, The Murderer Lives at Number 21 was finally released in the U.S. five years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Delair, Pierre Fresnay, (more)
- 1942
The great French character Raimu stars in Strangers in the House. He is cast as Loursat, the father of teenager Nicole (Juliette Faber). When Nicole's petty-thief boyfriend (Andre Reybas) is accused of murder, Loursat, a once-great attorney who has taken to drink, cleans up his act and defends the lad in court. Filmed in 1942, Strangers in the House attained an American release in 1949, three years after Raimu's death. Based on a novel by Georges Simenon, the film was remade in 1967 as Cop-Out, with James Mason and in 1992 as L'Inconnu dans la Maison with Jean-Paul Belmondo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raimu, Juliette Faber, (more)
