Felicien Tramel Movies
- 1946
This is just a casual observation, but it's highly possible that more film adaptations of the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky were made in France than in Russia. In 1946 there appeared a faithful (if by necessity truncated) French version of the Russian novelist's The Idiot. Gerard Philipe plays the title character, Russian prince Myshkin, who returns to St. Petersburg after a stay in a Swiss mental hospital. The Prince is not literally a mental midget; he is considered an idiot because, as an honest and upright person, he cannot keep pace with the evil in the world. He busies himself with the petty problems of his aristocratic friends, which drive him back into the recesses of insanity. Edwige Feuillere costars as Nastasia, the woman of loose morals who turns out to be the only person who truly cares about Myshkin's welfare, while Lucien Coedel plays the nominal villain of the piece, an iconoclastic flour merchant named Rogozhin, whose passion for Nastasia culminates in tragedy. L'Idiot was remade in Japan by Akira Kurosawa in 1951, and in Russia in 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Philipe, Edwige Feuillère, (more)
- 1939
Derniere Jeunesse (Second Childhood) attempts to translate the Irish sentiments of Liam O'Flaherty's novel Mr. Gilhooley into purely Gallic terms. Raimu plays the central character, a middle-ager of the "old school" who offers shelter and comfort to sluttish Jacqueline Delubac. Despite his own reservations, Raimu falls in love with the much-younger girl, remaining faithful to her even after he realizes that she cares only for his money. But when pimp Pierre Brasseur reenters Delubac's life, it is too much for Raimu to bear -- and this, coupled with the return of a mental sickness that Raimu had contracted years earlier in colonial Africa, leads to tragedy. Set in Rouen rather than O'Flaherty's Dublin, Derniere Jeunesse is an uncomfortable but generally satisfying melding of two diametrically opposite styles and sensibilities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raimu, Pierre Brasseur, (more)
- 1939
That matchless French farceur Fernandel has a field day in L'Heritier de Mondesir (The Mondesir Heir). A wicked lampoon on astrology, the story is set in motion when the Baron de Mondesir dies suddenly, leaving a fortune behind. A rustic rube (Fernandel, who also plays six other roles!) finds that, as the Baron's illegitimate offspring, he is the sole heir to the Mondesir estate. It is at this point that our hero is pounced upon by phony astrologers Elvire Popesco and Jules Berry, who seek to separate Fernandel from his bankroll by convincing him that the disposition of his estate has been predetermined by the stars. The villains almost get away with it, but Fernandel is saved by a vision of his noble ancestors, who warn him not to be so gosh-darned gullible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Felicien Tramel, (more)
- 1938
The English-language title of L'Entraineuse is Nightclub Hostess, the profession held down by leading lady Michele Morgan. Tired of her job and its tawdry trappings, Morgan jumps at the chance to enjoy a 15-day vacation on the Riviera. So as to avoid being ostracized, our heroine keeps her nightclub background a secret, passing herself off as a respectable young lady to her new circle of friends. This leads to a blissful romance with handsome, upright young college student Gilbert Gil. Alas, when Morgan's gangster acquaintance Andrex and his moll Giselle Preville arrive on the scene, the girl's dreams for a rosy future are irreparably shattered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michèle Morgan, Gilbert Gil, (more)
