|
Overview
La Crise est finie is a French film comedy first released in 1934,
directed by Robert Siodmak.
The film stars Albert Préjean, Danielle Darrieux, Régine Barry, Jacques Beauvais and Marcel Carpentier.
It has also been released under the title: Finie la crise.
Our overall rating for this film is: good.
Synopsis
A theatrical troupe is making a tour of the provinces when a bust up occurs. Unable
to tolerate the caprices of the leading lady, the rest of troupe decide to form a new
group and head off for Paris to mount a show. To their surprise, the roads of the
capital are not paved with gold and, without any money, their dreams soon begin to fade.
Luckily, they find an empty theatre where they can live and rehearse for their new show.
With a little cunning and a certain amount of dishonesty, they acquire the materials they
need to make the sets and costumes. However, they still lack a piano. The
beautiful debutante Nicole spends an evening with the piano seller Monsieur Bernoullin,
hoping he will give them a piano in exchange. She doesn’t know that her boyfriend,
the troupe’s musician Marcel, has already given him a cheque. Unable to cash the
cheque, Bernoullin refuses to deliver the piano, so another member of the troupe, Olga
buys it with her savings. Vexed, Bernoullin determines to prevent the show from
going ahead. To that end, he hires the theatre and intends converting it into a
cinema. The crisis is far from over...
Film Review
With the rise of Nazism, director Robert Siodmak left Germany in 1933 and moved to Paris,
where he continued his filmmaking career for a few years before settling in Hollywood.
La Crise est finie is the second film he made
in France, an effervescent musical comedy set against the backdrop of economic depression
and political uncertainty, very similar to Mervyn LeRoy’s Gold
Diggers of 1933. It is interesting that Siodmak manages to retain his expressionist
style – which evokes the hardship and pessimism of the period – yet, at the same time,
inject so much fun and energy, making this a joyously entertaining piece. The film’s
stars are Albert Préjean and Danielle Darrieux, who would both have hugely successful
film careers. Darrieux, here in one of her earliest screen roles, radiates charm
and vitality, and was a major contributor to the film’s great success in France.
© James Travers 2006 Write a review for this film... User Comments
What do you think of this film?
Related links
More French ComedyMore French Musical Recent DVD releases |
Credits
Similar films:
If you like this film you may also like the following: À nous la liberté (1931) L’Armoire volante (1948) Désiré (1937) L’École des contribuables (1934) Les Gaietés de l’escadron (1932) La Kermesse héroïque (1935) Le Million (1931) Le Mouton à cinq pattes (1954) L’Opéra de quat’sous (1931) La Poison (1951) Sous les toits de Paris (1930) Un chapeau de paille d’Italie (1928) Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953) Volpone (1941) |


