Monsieur Taxi (1952)
Directed by André Hunebelle

Comedy / Drama

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Monsieur Taxi (1952)
Michel Simon is perfectly cast as a self-effacing taxi driver in this engaging little comedy-drama, which provides a convincing portrait of working class family life in France a few years after WWII.  Although a little dated, the films offers a few memorable sequences, such as the one where Michel Simon is debating with his (remarkably well-trained) dog what to do with the money he has found in his taxi - Simon and dog make a terrific double act, making most of the rest of the cast superfluous.  The film was directed by André Hunebelle, one of the most successful mainstream French filmmakers of the 1950s and '60s, best remembered for his Fantômas trilogy of films, which starred Louis de Funès and Jean Marais.  Louis de Funès makes a very small appearance in Monsieur Taxi, as an irascible street artist, one of his many, many small roles before he became a major star in the mid-1960s.
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Next André Hunebelle film:
Les Trois mousquetaires (1953)

Film Synopsis

Pierre Verger is happy in his job as a Paris taxi driver.  He may not be rich, he may not be famous, but he enjoys his work and has an adoring wife, Hélène.  His only concern is that his two children Georges and Jacqueline have grown up too fast and are about to leave the family nest, for better or for worse.  Jacqueline is engaged to François, a florist who fancies himself as an artist.  Georges, a journalist, cannot bring himself to tell his parents that he has fallen in love with a dancer named Lily.  At the end of a day's work, Pierre is surprised to find a handbag stuffed with banknotes in his car.  It was obviously left behind by one of his customers, but which one?  After deciding that he cannot keep the money for himself, Pierre sets out to find the bag's rightful owner by visiting each of the day's fares in turn.  The first candidate happens to be George's friend Lily, who had taken the taxi to find out how Pierre feels about women of her profession.  Neither Lily nor the next customer, a high-class prostitute, apparently has any claim to the mysterious handbag, so by a process of elimination the only person it could belong to is an Italian woman who is wanted for robbery...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: André Hunebelle
  • Script: Jean Halain
  • Cinematographer: Paul Cotteret
  • Music: Jean Marion
  • Cast: Michel Simon (Pierre Verger (Monsieur Taxi)), Jane Marken (Louise), Jean Brochard (Léon), Pauline Carton (Mathilde), Espanita Cortez (L'Italienne), Jeanne Fusier-Gir (Mme Angela), Claire Olivier (Hélène Verger), Nathalie Nattier (La Rousse), Paul Azaïs (Henri, le barman), Louis Bugette (Le second inspecteur), Jean Carmet (François), Paul Demange (Le petit homme du téléphone), Floriane Prévot (Jacqueline Verger), Georgette Anys (La marchande de salades), Madeleine Barbulée (La tricoteuse), Robert Le Fort (Un témoin de l'accrochage), Louis Blanche (Le menuisier), Charles Bouillaud (L'agent de la circulation), Jean-Paul Moulinot (L'homme 'accroché' en voiture), Paul Clérouc (Un inspecteur)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Black and White
  • Runtime: 75 min

The best of American cinema
sb-img-26
Since the 1920s, Hollywood has dominated the film industry, but that doesn't mean American cinema is all bad - America has produced so many great films that you could never watch them all in one lifetime.
The very best period film dramas
sb-img-20
Is there any period of history that has not been vividly brought back to life by cinema? Historical movies offer the ultimate in escapism.
The greatest French Films of all time
sb-img-4
With so many great films to choose from, it's nigh on impossible to compile a short-list of the best 15 French films of all time - but here's our feeble attempt to do just that.
The Golden Age of French cinema
sb-img-11
Discover the best French films of the 1930s, a decade of cinematic delights...
The brighter side of Franz Kafka
sb-img-1
In his letters to his friends and family, Franz Kafka gives us a rich self-portrait that is surprisingly upbeat, nor the angst-ridden soul we might expect.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © frenchfilms.org 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright