Charles Boyer Movies

The first of three film versions of Theophile Gautier's popular adventure novel Le Capitaine Fracasse was co-written and directed by Alberto Cavalcanti in 1929. Pierre Blanchar essays the title character, who when first we see him is impoverished nobleman Baron de Solignac. Living a solitary existence in his crumbling ancestral castle, the Baron's existence is brightened by the visit of a travelling harlequin troupe. Falling in love with Isabella (Lien Dyers), the troupe's leading lady, the Baron joins the strolling players, assuming the stage "persona" of Captain Fracasse. In this guise, our hero performs various and sundry feats of derring-do, culminating with his rescue of Isabella from the clutches of the evil Duke de Vallombreuse. Future Hollywood screen idol Charles Boyer shows up in a choice supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The only thing magnificent about Magnificent Lie is its title. As usual, Ruth Chatterton plays a woman of variable morals, this time a seedy cafe entertainer. Ralph Bellamy costars as a recently blinded man, whose sole reason for living is his adulation of a famous French singing star. To boost the man's morale, Chatterton impersonates the star in his presence. They fall in love...but will it last once the ruse is revealed? Magnificent Lie features Charles Boyer in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jack Conway complained about being assigned to direct this comedy, claiming that a woman like the title character had almost ruined his own marriage. In a way he had a point , but only Jean Harlow could have made gold digger Lil Andrews a sympathetic protagonist. And Katherine Brush's racy novel (which first appeared, serial-fashion, in the Saturday Evening Post) could only have been filmed in the pre-Code days of the early 1930s. Helping both star and story is the snappy dialogue written by Anita Loos. Lil is the classic girl "from the wrong side of the tracks" -- she's a secretary with a bootlegger boyfriend and a wisecracking roommate named Sal (Una Merkel, who was a delightful foil to Harlow in several films). But Lil has ambitions -- she's "strictly on the level, like a flight of stairs," as one character says. She plans to snag Bill Legendre (Chester Morris), son of the venerable company head (Lewis Stone) -- no matter that he's happily married to his childhood sweetheart, Irene (Leila Hyams). Lil throws herself at Legendre until he can resist no longer and she snares him. But things don't work out as planned. Instead of making a big splash in society, she bombs -- so she casts her attention ever upwards to Gaersate, a coal king (Henry Stephenson). But a wrench is thrown into her scheme when she goes mad for his French chauffeur (Charles Boyer). "I've fallen in love and I'm going to be married!" she gleefully tells Sal, before explaining that it's the chauffeur she loves and Gaersate whom she will marry. However, Legendre Sr. has put a detective on Lil's trail and he shows Gaersate a handful of compromising photos. It looks like her game is up, but the last we see of the mercenary miss, she's leaving a fashionable Paris racetrack with a bearded old sugar daddy -- and her beloved chauffeur driving them away. In spite of all her blatant manipulations, Harlow gives Lil a childlike appeal, which makes her actions nearly forgivable (it also helps that the men are such dolts). But not everyone was able to accept a movie bad-girl who did not pay for her sins and, in fact, actually benefited from them -- the film was banned in Germany and England. It may not have gotten much play in France either, but certainly not because of Lil's wantonness. Charles Boyer, who was a star in his native country, was embarrassed at his failure to make a splash in America and didn't want his fellow Frenchmen to see him play a tiny bit-part. Depending on the source, he reportedly convinced MGM to either 1) release the film in France with his parts edited out (which would have made it quite confusing) or 2) not release the film there at all. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The Battle is the English-language version of the French La Bataille; both versions starred Charles Boyer in one of his oddest screen roles. Adapted from a novel by Claude Farrere, the film casts Boyer as Marquis Yorisaka, a patriot Japanese nobleman in charge of a vast naval fleet. He strikes up a friendship with British navy officer Fergan (John Loder), in hopes of harvesting new information concerning maritime maneuvers. Yorisaka even goes so far as to push his own wife Marquise (Merle Oberon) into a romantic liaison with Fergan, even though this cruel deed will bring him disgrace as a Japanese gentleman. Even after emerging victorious from a naval battle, Yorisaka grimly realizes he's betrayed his own people through his disgraceful treatment of Marquise, leaving him with no other option but an honorable suicide. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Charles Boyer played his first major Hollywood role (and gets to sing in the bargain!) in the oddball musical romance Caravan. A miscast Loretta Young stars as young Countess Wilms, who is forced to wed by midnight or lose her inheritance. She impulsively chooses gypsy vagabond Latzi (Boyer), offering him a huge sum of money if he'll consent. Swallowing his pride, Latzi agrees to the marriage, but soon the coy Countess falls in love with young Lieutenant Von Tokay (Philips Holmes) -- who is himself in love with Latzi's gypsy sweetheart Tinka (Jean Parker). Director Erik Charrell, famed for his European musical productions (notably Congress Dances), seems uncomfortable adapting to the Hollywood movie-making process. Though evidently intended to be taken seriously, there are times that Caravan comes off like a parody of operettas: one half expects the stars to join in a duet of Cole Porter's spoofish "Wunderbar." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The stigma of miscegenation (horrors!) is at the base of this very dated romantic melodrama. Charles Boyer stars as Dmitri Koslov, an enterprising Eurasian who rises from rickshaw driver to powerful industrialist, all the while concealing his mixed parentage. Koslov falls in love with beautiful American Barbara Howard (Loretta Young), but dares not propose marriage because he is half-Chinese. Even so, Barbara insists upon trailing after the elusive Koslov into the mountainous regions of China, symbolically shedding all her valued possessions to finance her odyssey. But East is East and West is West, thus the "forbidden" alliance between hero and heroine must end on an unhappy note. Swedish-born Warner Oland once again convincingly impersonates an Asian as a Chinese ambassador. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide