Marc Allégret Movies

Sacha Guitry wrote the play on which Le Blanc et le Noir was based, but it was Hollywood-trained Robert Florey who officially handled the directorial reins. While vacationing in the mountains, child-hating Raimu leaves his wife Suzanne Dantes alone in their hotel room while he dallies with the local maidens. Feeling neglected, Dantes accepts the invitation of her neighbor, a celebrated tenor, for a nocturnal rendezvous. She enters the tenor's darkened room, whereupon she enjoys an evening of purple passion with a man whom she assumes is her host. Nine months later, however, Dantes gives birth to a black child -- her lover of the evening had been the tenor's capricious servant! The flustered Raimu scurries about trying to set things right, and in so doing finds out that he genuinely loves children -- whereupon he declares he'd like to become a daddy himself (one can only imagine that Dantes by this time has developed quite a headache). Though racy and risque, Le Blanc et le Noir remains firmly within the bounds of good taste. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this sequel to Marcel Pagnol's Marius, which picks up roughly where the first film left off, sailor Marius (Pierre Fresney) has left for the sea, while his girlfriend Fanny (Orane Demazis) is pregnant with his child. Through she still loves Marius, Fanny bows to the pleas of her parents and agrees to marry Panisse (Fernand Charpin), an elderly sail maker, so that her baby will have a name and a father at home. Marius' father Cesar (Raimu) tries to keep Fanny's marriage and the child that Marius fathered a secret from him, but to no avail; when Marius learns of Fanny's predicament, he comes home as quickly as possible. While Marius and Fanny want to reconcile, Fanny's parents will hear nothing of it, and Panisse refuses to give Fanny up, declaring that while he is not the biological father of the child, the baby is his son in every other sense. With a heavy heart, Cesar advises his son to return to the life of the sea, and a heartbroken Marius follows his father's advice. Pagnol concluded his "Marseilles Trilogy" three years later with Cesar. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Zou Zou is one of a handful of French musical films made by the flamboyant African-American entertainer Josephine Baker. The star plays a Creole laundress who becomes an overnight stage success when she subs for a tempestuous diva. She goes on to experience the requisite professional highs and personal lows, and to briefly enjoy the attentions of French matinée idol Jean (Jean Gabin). La Baker's costumes reveal virtually everything but what she's eaten for breakfast, and her dancing is just a step away from obscenely erotic. In short, the film represents Josephine Baker at her outrageous best, making this film a must for fans and casual admirers alike. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though its title translates literally as The Terrible Lovers, this French romantic comedy is actual an adaptation of Noel Coward's urbane and witty Private Lives (previously filmed by MGM in 1931). Gaby Morlay and Andre Luget star as sophisticated married couple Annette and Daniel, who remain in love despite their acrimonious relationship and eventual divorce. On the rebound, Annette marries stuffy Henri (Victor Lambert), while Daniel weds scatterbrained Lucie (Marie Glory). As luck would have it, Annette and Daniel end up in adjoining hotel suites while on their respective honeymoons. It is inevitable that the two will reunite, but getting there is half the fun. One would love to hear the French translations of such Coward bon mots as "You're looking lovely in this damned moonlight" and "Some women should be struck regularly, like gongs." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally titled Gribouille, Marc Allegret's Heart of Paris serves as an excellent vehicle for that matchless stage and screen favorite Raimu. The star is cast as bourgeois family man Camille Morestau, who while serving on a jury in a murder trial takes pity on the accused, waiflike Natalie Rougin (Michele Morgan). Through a series of unlikely circumstance, Morestau invites Natalie to move in with himself and his family for the duration of the trial. Morestau's son Claude (Gilbert Gil) assumes there's some hanky panky going on between his father and Natalie, whereupon he takes a serious interest in the girl himself. Realizing that her presence has caused serious dissension in the Morestau household, Natalie prepares to leave-but not before "borrowing" a few valuables to finance her exit. The ending of Heart of Paris is somewhat grimmer than the one utilized in its American remake, The Lady in Question, in which the three main characters were portrayed by Brian Aherne, Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Orage (Storm) marked Charles Boyer's return to France after a two-year soujourn in Hollywood. Boyer plays construction engineer Andre Pascaud, who is dissatisfied with his marriage to the adoring Gisele (Lisette Lanvin). When Andre's brother-in-law Gilbert (Robert Manuel) brings home his fiancee Francoise (Michele Morgan), Andre instantly falls in love with the girl. He pursues a romance with Francoise, never letting her know that he's married. When the "moment of truth" arrives, it spells disaster for all concerned, none more so than the unfortunate Francoise. Based on a play by Henri Bernstein,Orage served to boost the stardom of Michele Morgan, a protegee of director Marc Allegret. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide