Au son des guitares (1936)
Directed by Pierre-Jean Ducis

Film Review

With his success as a singer starting to take off in the early 1930s, Tino Rossi was a magnet for film producers who sought to capitalise on his burgeoning popularity.  Au son des guitares is a typical Rossi vehicle of this era, an undistinguished morality piece (directed with limited flair by Pierre-Jean Ducis) that would be virtually unwatchable without Rossi's musical interludes.  Rossi's faithful songwriter Vincent Scotto contributed the memorable numbers, which include Chanson pour ma brune and Tant qu'il y aura des étoiles.

Tino Rossi's acting skills are limited, to say the least, so when he stops singing and puts away the accordion, the focus is readily stolen by his more talented co-star Paul Azaïs, who supplies some very welcome comedy.  Au son des guitares hardly rates as a great film but, its location scenes in Corsica (Rossi's country of origin) attractively filmed in a way that prefigures neo-realism, it is not without interest.  In any event, it is far more palatable than some of Rossi's later films, which tended to be drenched in saccharine sentimentality of the worst kind.

Film Synopsis

Jeannot and Pierrot are two young fishermen who lead a contented but modest life on the island of Corsica.  A woman tourist attracts their attention and when she returns to Paris, they follow her, hoping to make their fortune in the city.  Success proves elusive and Jeannot has to make do with being a busker.  In the end, disillusioned, the two men return to their home village, and the fiancées who await them.