Film Review
Having worked with Robert Florey on
Le Blanc et le noir (1931) and
Augusto Genina on
Les Amours de minuit (1931)
Marc Allégret ventured his first solo effort as a director with
this hectic adaptation of a popular stage musical by Henri Meilhac and
Albert Millaud. Although it is competently directed,
Mam'zelle Nitouche is far from
being Allégret's most distinguished film offering - 1930s French
farce with ineptly crowbarred-in musical numbers is now a horribly
dated formula - but it gave the director's favourite actor, Raimu,
ample opportunity to prove himself as a comic performer. Raimu
was rarely as funnier as he is in this film and his lively performance
breathes life into the dusty old farce on which it is based.
André Alerme is equally amusing as the easily offended major
whom Raimu frequently cuckolds, at the cost of receiving a well-timed
(and thoroughly well-deserved) boot up the posterior.
Another notable name in the cast is Janie Marèse, who is best
known for her leading role in Jean Renoir's
La Chienne (1931).
Marèse's vitality and talent as an actress, dancer and singer
are all very much in evidence in
Mam'zelle
Nitouche, making her death in a car accident a few months before
the film's release all the more tragic. Renoir also appears in
the film in an uncredited minor role, as do Edwige Feuillère,
Viviane Romance and Simone Simon, right at the start of their
illustrious screen careers. Twenty-three years later, Marc
Allégret's younger brother Yves directed a
big budget colour
remake of the film, with comic icon Fernandel cast in the lead role.
© James Travers 2014
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Next Marc Allégret film:
Fanny (1932)
Film Synopsis
1880, a garrison town in France. Not content with being an
organist at a convent, Célestin composes comic operas in his
spare time under the name Floridor. His secret is discovered by
one of the boarders at the convent, Denise de Flavigny. It so
happens that on the opening night of his latest opera Célestin
must accompany Denise to town to meet her future husband. Denise
escapes with the help of a young officer, Lieutenant La Vauzelle, not
realising that he is her intended husband. Meanwhile,
Célestin finds himself in trouble when his mistress and leading
lady Corinne walks out on his latest production. Fortunately,
Denise is more than willing to step into the breach, but the night's
adventures are far from over...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.