Les Deux orphelines (1933)
Directed by Maurice Tourneur

Drama
aka: The Two Orphans

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Les Deux orphelines (1933)
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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Next Maurice Tourneur film:
Lidoire (1933)

Film Synopsis

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…?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Maurice Tourneur
  • Script: Adolphe d'Ennery (novel), Eugène Cormon (novel), Maurice Tourneur, René Pujol
  • Cinematographer: Georges Benoît, Roger Lucas
  • Music: Marcel Delannoy, Jacques Ibert
  • 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), André Liabel (Marest), Pierre Ferval (L'aubergiste), Anthony Gildès (Le vieux seigneur), Armand Morins (Le satyre), Emmy Lynn (La comtesse de Lignères), Jean-François Martial (Un ravisseur), Georges Benoît, Clairjane, Wanda Warel
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Black and White
  • Runtime: 90 min
  • Aka: The Two Orphans

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