Monsieur Hector (1940) Directed by Maurice Cammage
Comedy
Film Review
In this entertaining farce, France's comic hero Fernandel gets himself enmeshed in a seemingly
endless and inescapable series of cases of mistaken identity. Despite the complexity
of the plot (you need to be pretty alert to follow all of it), the film has a genuine
charm, epitomising the French comic farce of the late 1930s.
Much of the film's content would be deemed politically incorrect by today's standards
- for example, Fernandel blacking himself up (hence the film's working title Le Nègre
du Négresco), and the film's resolution, which suggests that lower and upper
classes are best kept apart. Yet, however dated the content may be, the film's timeless
comic appeal is more than apparent. That the film is still hilariously funny is
testament to the comic genius of those who made and starred in it, particularly its incomparable
star, the legendary Fernandel.
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
The vicomte de Saint-Amand, a skiing champion, sends his valet Hector ahead of him to
prepare his apartment in Nice. Whilst his master is away, Hector dresses up in one
of the vicomte's suits and meets and falls in love with Suzanne, a washroom attendant
who has herself borrowed the fur coat of one of her clients. When the vicomte de
Saint-Amand returns, he asks Hector if they can change places - he becoming the valet
and Hector becoming the vicomte - so that he can escape the unwelcome attentions of the
Maroussia de Dragomir. When the Maroussia arrives, she is not put off - she redirects
her marital ambitions towards Hector, thinking he is the real vicomte. Meanwhile,
the real vicomte has fallen in love with Jacqueline, thinking her to be a humble chambermaid
when she is in fact the daughter of an important dignitary. The latter, shocked
that her daughter wishes to marry a valet, visits the vicomte's apartment and is unimpressed
by what he finds, mistaking Hector for the man his daughter loves. Trapped in a
web of deceit and subterfuge, Hector's problems have only just begun...
Script: J. d'Ansennes,
Marivaux (play), Pierre Maudru, Jean Rioux (dialogue),
André Roanne (dialogue)
Cinematographer: Georges Clerc
Music: Casimir Oberfeld
Cast:Fernandel (Hector),
Denise Grey (Maroussia de Dragomir),
Georges Grey (Le vicomte de Saint-Amand),
Gaby Wagner (Jacqueline Monturot),
Rognoni (Monturot),
Madeleine Suffel (Suzanne),
Marthe Mussine (La femme de chambre),
Alice Deneige (La chanteuse),
Rivers Cadet (Le maître d'hôtel),
Marfa d'Hervilly (Une vieille cliente),
Suzanne Fleurant (Une cliente),
Jacques Henley (Un client),
Philippe Richard (Le gérant),
Jean Témerson (Le Baron Grondin),
Georges Guétary (Danseur tyrolien),
Pierre Ferval,
Édouard Francomme,
Jean-Jacques Steen,
Eugène Yvernès
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 85 min
The best of Japanese cinema
The cinema of Japan is noteworthy for its purity, subtlety and visual impact. The films of Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa are sublime masterpieces of film poetry.
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.
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.
In the 1910s, French cinema led the way with a new industry which actively encouraged innovation. From the serials of Louis Feuillade to the first auteur pieces of Abel Gance, this decade is rich in cinematic marvels.