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Les Deux orphelines
1933 Drama
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Credits
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Director: Maurice Tourneur
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Script: Maurice Tourneur, René Pujol, based on the play by Adolphe d'Ennery and Eugène Cormon
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Photo: Georges Benoît, Roger Lucas
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Music: Marcel Delannoy, Jacques Ibert
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Cast: Rosine Deréan (Louise),
Renée Saint-Cyr (Henriette),
Gabriel Gabrio (Jacques),
Pierre Magnier (Le comte de Lignères),
Jean Martinelli (Roger de Vaudray),
Yvette Guilbert (La Frochard),
Marthe Mellot (La religieuse),
Emile Saulieu (Le marquis de Presles),
Jean Francey (Pierre),
Camille Bert (Le docteur),
Georges Morton (Lafleur)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 87 min; B&W
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Aka: The Two Orphans
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Summary
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…?
Review
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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