Pension Mimosas (1935) - film review

After his father is sent to prison, a young boy, Pierrot, is adopted by the Noblet family, who own the Mimosas boarding-house on the French Riviera.  Pierrot grows up to become a small-time crook and extorts money from his adopted family.  He then becomes caught up in a frenzied love triangle with his mistress Nelly and the Noblet’s daughter Louise.

Pension Mimosas, like much of Jacques Feyder’s work, is a film which was highly rated in its day but which has all but passed into obscurity since.   This film in particular has not aged well, and it now feels rather like a rather creaky 1930s melodrama.  It is redeemed by some commendable acting (notably from Françoise Rosay) and Charles Spaak’s excellent dialogue.

The film is interesting because it contains the first substantial film role for Arletty, who would become a major figure in French cinema in the 1930s and 1940s.  Marcel Carné also worked on the film, as Feydor’s assistant (before going on to make his mark as one of France’s greatest filmmakers).

© James Travers 2002

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