Les Deux orphelines (1933)

Les Deux orphelines is a French film first released in 1933, directed by Maurice Tourneur.  The film stars Rosine Deréan, Renée Saint-Cyr, Gabriel Gabrio, Pierre Magnier and Jean Martinelli.  It has also been released under the title: The Two Orphans.  Our overall rating for this film is: very good.


On the eve of the French Revolution, two orphan girls, Henriette and Louise, make their way to Paris.  Henriette is kidnapped by a libertine marquis to participate in a debauched party, leaving her blind sister at the mercy of an unscrupulous hag, La Frochard.  The latter provides Louise with shelter provided she begs for money in the streets.  La Frochard has two sons – Jacques, the elder, who torments the orphan girl, and Pierre, the younger, who falls in love with her.  Meanwhile, Henriette has been arrested and sent to a prison on a misunderstanding.  A kindly doctor secures her release, but will she ever see her lost sister again…?

Les Deux orphelines, a popular nineteenth century play by Adolphe d’Ennery and Eugène Cormon, has enjoyed several cinematic adaptations.  The most famous is D.W. Griffith’s 1921 silent masterpiece, Orphans of the Storm , which starred Lillian and Dorothy Gish.  Maurice Tourneur’s 1933 version is almost just as noteworthy, thanks mainly to some impressive set design and atmospheric photography, which provide an authentic reconstruction of pre-revolutionary Paris.

The film benefits from some great performances – Yvette Guilbert is particularly memorable as the wicked old woman Frochard – making this a compelling work with some moments of intense poignancy (even if the plot is frankly ridiculous).  Tourneur’s influence by German expressionism is apparent throughout the film – note how skilfully the camera is used to heighten dramatic tension and to emphasise the vulnerability and increasing desperation of the two orphans following their cruel separation.

This film launched the career of Renée Saint-Cyr, who plays the elder orphan girl, Henriette.  The young actress’ experiences making this film were not altogether happy – she was tormented by the director (Tourneur had a reputation for ill-treating his actors) and loathed her co-star Rosine Deréan.  Despite this, Renée Saint-Cyr went on to become a popular actress in the 1930s and 1940s, much sought after by serious film directors.

© James Travers 2006

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