Serge Reggiani Movies
Born in Italy but raised in France since the age of four, supporting and leading actor Serge Reggiani's prolific film career spans five decades. Often appearing in international productions, he made his film debut in Etoile sans Lumiere (1946). He went on to specialize in tragic roles. Highlights of his career include Casque D'Or (Golden Helmet) (1952), Le Doulos (1962), and Vincent, François, Paul et les Autres (1974). Reggiani was also a popular singer during the 1960s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1944
French director Leo Joannon, the man who made such a mess of the valedictory Laurel & Hardy vehicle Atoll K, proved that he could direct after all in Children of Chaos. Essentially a Gallic variation on Boys Town, the film concentrates on a boy's reformatory. Jean-Victor (Rene Darcy), himself a reform-school alumnus, is put in charge of a rehabilitation center. It is Jean-Victor's hope that he can give his charges the breaks he never received. His toughest reclamation job is Jorisse (Serge Reggiani), a seemingly ungovernable delinquent. When distributed in the U.S., Children of Chaos was marred by several censorial deletions which wreaked havoc on the film's continuity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janine Darcey, Serge Reggiani, (more)
- 1945
Most film versions of the life and times of 15th-century Parisian "beggar poet" Francois Villon are derived from the old theatrical chestnut The Vagabond King. Not so the French Francois Villon, an original for the screen penned by director Andre Zwobada and scenarist Pierre MacOrlan. Serge Riannini plays the title character along more serious lines than such previous screen Villons as John Barrymore and Ronald Colman. Surprisingly, King Louis XVI, Villon's friendly enemy, is nowhere to be found: instead, the film dwells on the poet's many romantic entanglements. While American censors were surprisingly lenient when dealing with the amount of cleavage displayed by such zaftig actresses as Claudine Dupuis and Helene Sauvaneix, it was obvious that the love scenes in Francois Villon were heavily trimmed for U.S. consumption. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renée Faure, Micheline Francey, (more)
- 1946
Etoile Sans Lumiere (Star Without Light) represents a rare screen appearance by French singing sensation Edith Piaf. The plot is something of a predecessor to Hollywood's Singin' in the Rain (1952), albeit with a less happy denouement. Piaf plays an aspiring singer who tries to break into films during the early talkie era. She is hired to dub the singing and speaking voice of a silent-movie favorite (Mila Parely). Sworn to secrecy, the fill-in must stand by in silence as the star receives all the praises and plaudits. When the truth is revealed, the result is disastrous for everyone concerned. Etoile Sans Lumiere is chiefly memorable as the screen debut of Edith Piaf's protégé Yves Montand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edith Piaf, Mila Parély, (more)
- 1946
Marcel Carne's 1946 production La Porte de la Nuit was released in the U.S. four years later as Gates of the Night. Scripted by Carne's longtime collaborator Jacques Prevert, the film is set in Paris just after its liberation from the Nazis. The script points out that this was not only a time for rejoicing, but a period of guilt and remorse, especially for those who cooperated with the Nazis, overtly or otherwise. In one of his first starring roles, Yves Montand plays a former member of the French underground who carries on a furtive romance with the wife (Nathalie Nattier) of a wealthy man. Others essential to the action are Sergi Reggiani as a snivelly informer and Christian Simon as a ubiquitous (and obviously symbolic) street musician. A box-office disappointment in France, Gates of the Night did somewhat better abroad. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brasseur, Serge Reggiani, (more)
- 1948
Per its title, Lovers of Verona is an updated adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The film was a joint project of those felicitous collaborators, screenwriter Jacques Prevert and director Andre Cayatte. The star-crossed lovers are portrayed by Serge Reggiani and Anouk Aimee, cast respectively as the poverty-stricken son of a glassblower and the daughter of a disgraced nobleman. While playing bit roles in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet, Angelo (Reggiani) and Georgia (Aimee) are suddenly promoted to the leading parts. Predictably, hero and heroine begin acting out their characters in real life as well as on stage. Not so predictably, their romance is challenged not by modern-day counterparts to the Montagues and the Capulets, but by the lovers' own heightened sensitivities to their social differences. Following the worldwide success of Lovers of Verona (it was released in Italy in 1949, then internationally in 1951), director Andre Cayatte was given what one historian has described as "carte blanche" in the French film industry; put simply, the man could do no wrong. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anouk Aimée, Serge Reggiani, (more)
- 1949
French filmmaker Julien Duvivier had trouble regaining his popularity after the war; thus, he tried all sorts of subject matter, hoping to land the one plotline that would reap box-office success. In Au Royaume des Cieux, Duvivier aims his sights at a girl's reformatory. Falsely imprisoned after resisting the advances of a wealthy man, Maria (Suzanne Cloutier) is subjected to the spiteful behavior of unbalanced reform-school headmistress Mlle. Chamblas (Suzy Prim). When Maria's true love Pierre (Serge Reggiani) arrives with an escape plan at the ready, the other inmates try to help the couple elude the authorities. A tense, fog-laden climax caps this well-crafted melodrama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Serge Reggiani, Suzanne Cloutier, (more)
- 1949
Four top French filmmakers were involved in the "omnibus" feature Retour a la Vie. The film offers four separate stories, each involving a liberated prisoner of war. The first episode, directed by Andre Cayatte, finds a wealthy old woman (O. Revinsky), unhinged by her prison-camp experiences, trying to cope with greedy relatives who voraciously wait for her to die. The second story, directed by Jean Dreville, stars Francois Perrier as a bartender who goes to work in a hotel for American military women. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot helmed the third episode, in which a crippled, half-crazed ex-inmate (Louis Jouvet) has a tense confrontation with a former Gestapo chief. The last installment, directed by Georges Lampin, is the comic tale of a nebbishy returnee (Noel Noel) who causes an uproar when he brings his German war bride home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helena Manson, Patricia Roc, (more)
- 1949
Updated from Abbe Prevost's Manon Lescaut, this non-operatic version of the familiar tale stars Cecile Aubrey in the title role. Accused of collaborating with the Nazis during WW II, Manon Lescaut is rescued by Robert Desgrieux (Michel Auclair). Safely ensconced in Paris with Robert, Manon falls victim to the machinations of her dishonest brother Leon (Serge Reggiani). Once more Robert comes to her rescue then takes his love with him to Palestine. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot departs most radically from the Prevost original in the closing scenes, which concentrate on a group of Jewish war refugees. Obviously under the influence of American film noir, Clouzot takes great delight in concentrating on society's castaways in Manon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cécile Aubrey, Gabrielle Dorziat, (more)
- 1950
An exercise in style, La Ronde was one of the few films of the 1950s to contain overtly sexual themes. The story is a series of character vignettes, set in Vienna in the early 1900s and held together by a narrator (Anton Walbrook). As the title implies, both the story and the film's visual motifs are circular. Director Max Ophuls uses an old-fashioned merry-go-round to foreshadow the film's events, in which each segment introduces a new character, who has an affair with a character from the previous scene. The film demands that the audience pay attention to the structure, to the interplay among the characters, and to the opulent visual elements; and the effect is synergistic delight, in which the viewer is engaged both visually and intellectually. Because it was filmed in black-and-white, La Ronde does not have the garish look of some of Ophuls' other films, notably Lola Montès. La Ronde is among the few foreign language films to receive multiple Oscar nominations, for Black & White Art Direction and Best Adapted Screenplay. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, (more)
The Paris demimonde of 1900 is the setting for Casque d'Or. Georges Manda (Serge Reggiani), an honest woodworker, falls in love with Marie (Simone Signoret), the "moll" of minor crook Roland (William Sabatier). Gangster boss Felix Leca (Claude Dauphin) orders Georges and Roland to fight a duel to the death over the girl, as prescribed by the "code of the apache." Felix then pins the blame for Roland's death on Georges' boyhood chum, Raymond (Raymond Bussières), knowing that the woodworker will nobly accept the blame; this will leave Marie alone, which is what the lustful Felix has wanted all along. When Georges learns he's been set up as a dupe, he escapes from the police and kills Felix. Casque D'Or was based on the true-life Leca-Manda scandal, wherein an otherwise decent man was guillotined for shooting down a gangster boss in broad daylight. Since the scandal was common knowledge in France, the downbeat ending of this film was hardly unexpected but still extremely moving. Completed in 1951, Casque D'Or was a failure on its first release but then built up an excellent word-of-mouth reputation abroad. The film was released in the U.S. in 1956 as Golden Marie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, (more)
- 1952
Set in 1930s London, Secret People stars Valentina Cortesa and Audrey Hepburn as Maria and Nora, two sisters whose father has been murdered for political reasons. Adopted by a kindly Italian restaurateur (Charles Goldner), Maria and Nora gradually overcome the loss of their father and get on with their lives. But when an old family friend enters the picture, the girls are plunged into a maelstrom of international intrigue. The upshot of this is a misguided murder charge and an eleventh-hour act of selfless sacrifice. When Audrey Hepburn ascended into stardom in the mid-1950s, Secret People was re-issued, with the originally fourth-billed Hepburn promoted to above-the-title billing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valentina Cortese, Serge Reggiani, (more)
- 1953
Act of Love was based on The Girl on the Via Flamina, a novel by Alfred Hayes. Kirk Douglas plays an American soldier, participating in the 1944 liberation of France. Making the acquaintance of impoverished Parisian girl Dany Robin, Douglas takes pity on the girl, pretending to be married to her so that she won't be unfairly arrested as a prostitute. When Douglas attempts to make their union legal, he is denied permission by his superior officers. So far as they are concerned, Robin is just another little opportunist, marrying a GI in order to gain US citizenship. But Robin is genuinely in love with Douglas-and proves it, in a profoundly tragic manner. Producer/director Anatole Litvak and screenwriter Irwin Shaw do their best to bring some cinematic excitement to the somber goings-on. Act of Love represents the first appearance in an English-speaking film by Brigitte Bardot, here playing the minor role of "Mimi". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Dany Robin, (more)
- 1953
Camicie Rosse (Red Shirts) was released in most markets as Anita Garibaldi, in deference to the star status of Anna Magnani. The actress plays the wife of the great Italian patriot Garibaldi, who at the beginning of the film hovers on the brink of death, harking back to past glories. Most of the story deals with the European political upheavals of 1848-49, and Garibaldi's participation in these earth-shattering events. Raf Vallone stars as Garibaldi, while the stellar supporting cast includes Alain Cuny, Jacques Sernas, Serge Reggiani and Michel Auclair. According to some reports, Auclair was supposed to have played Garibaldi, but was replaced by Vallone when the film's initial director, Goffriedo Allesandri, was put out of commission by an auto accident (Allesandrishares screen credit with Franco Rosi, who completed the film). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Magnani, Raf Vallone, (more)
- 1955
The title of this French prison drama loosely translates to Heels Go to Hell. Making his directorial debut, Robert Hossein also assumes the leading role, playing an escaped convict. Hossein and his fellow escapees cross the path of Marina Vlady, with whom they all fall in love. Alas for our "heroes," Vlady intends to avenge the death of her sweetheart at the hands of Hossein and his confreres. Not only do these heels go to Hell, but they do so with a spectacular flourish. Les Salauds Vont en Enfer was adapted by Rene Wheeler from a play by Frederic Dard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marina Vlady, Henri Vidal, (more)
- 1957
Dany Carrel essays the title role in Elisa. Set in 19th-century Paris, the film details the friendship between likeable streetwalker Elisa and a blind street organist, played by Serge Reggiani. Things take a melodramatic turn early on when Elisa is arrested because of her mother's illegal abortion racket. Too "soiled" for any respectable lover, Elisa turns to Reggiani, who is unaware of her profession. Alas, when he learns the truth, his baser instincts overtake him, and tragedy results. Elisa was based on a novel by Edomond de Goncourt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dany Carrel, Serge Reggiani, (more)
- 1958
Echec au Porteur (Not Delivered) is a nail-biting suspense tale in the Hitchcock manner. The disgruntled protagonist decides to kill an old enemy with a bomb concealed in a football. The bomb is misdelivered, ending up in the hands of a young boy. The rest of the picture is a race against time as the boy innocently plays with his pigskin booby trap. Co-adapted by Noel Calaf from his own novel, Echec au Porteur boasts excellent performances from Jeanne Moreau, Serge Reggiani, Paul Meurisse and Gert Froebe; incredibly, Variety felt that the cast lacked "name value." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Serge Reggiani, Jeanne Moreau, (more)
- 1958
Victor Hugo's monumental novel Les Miserables has been filmed so often that sometimes it's hard to tell one version from another. One of the best and most faithful adaptations is this 240-minute French production, starring Jean Gabin as the beleagured Jean Valjean. Arrested for a petty crime, Valjean spends years 20 in the brutal French penal system. Even upon his release, his trail is dogged by relentless Inspector Javert (Bernard Blier). Valjean's efforts to create a new life for himself despite the omniprescence of Javert is meticulously detailed in this film, which utilizes several episodes from the Hugo original that had hitherto never been dramatized. Originally released as a single film, Les Miserables was usually offered as a two-parter outside of France. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, Bernard Blier, (more)
- 1958
Based on a novel by George Simenon, Le Passager Clandestin was one of the few French-Australian co-productions of the 1950s -- or of any decade, for that matter. Shot on location in Tahiti, the film stars Martine Carol as a stowaway on a naval vessel. She hopes to eventually be reunited with her former lover, but instead falls for a handsome ship's officer. The two men detest one another on sight, culminating in a deadly confrontation. With no one else left standing, Carol switches her allegiance to a feckless young sailor. One of Carol's amours is played by Karlheinz Boehm, who later gained international stardom as Karl Boehm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martine Carol, Roger Livesey, (more)
- 1959
This suspensful drama finds ten members of the underground uniting fifteen years after the end of World War II. Nine men and a woman come together to expose a traitor among them. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Fusier-Gir, Serge Reggiani, (more)
