The Darling of Paris (1931 film)

The Darling of Paris
Directed byAugusto Genina
Written byFrancis Carco
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byGermain Fried
Music byMaurice Yvain
Production
company
Les Films Osso
Release date
  • 9 October 1931 (1931-10-09)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

The Darling of Paris (French: Paris Béguin ; lit.'Paris Infatuation'[1]) is a 1931 French drama film directed by Augusto Genina and starring Jane Marnac, Jean Gabin and Jean-Max. It was one of the first films to portray Gabin in his characteristic 1930s setting of pessimistic working class locations.

Plot

Jane Diamaond is a music hall star. As she goes home one night, she catches Bob, a burglar ftrying to steal her jewelry. After spending the night with him, she realizes she is actually living out a scene she just refused to act on stage that very night.

Bob is arrested the next day for a murder he didn't commit. Jane provides her new lover with an alibi, unleashing the jealousy of Gaby, a woman who has long been in love with Bob. Gaby then has Bob killed by Ficelle and Dédé, the real culprits of the first murder.

Cast

Production

The film is a de facto remake of the 1911 short L'Épouvante, Jane Marnac reprising the role held by Mistinguett.[2]

Reception

It was one of the first films to portray Gabin in his characteristic 1930s setting of pessimistic working class locations[3] and such an important step in Gabin's access to stardom.[4] It addresses the topics of "hunger for power and class rise" in a typical "realist" manner.[5]

References

  1. ^ Crisp, Colin (2015). French Cinema—A Critical Filmography: Volume 1, 1929–1939. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-01696-6.
  2. ^ Conway, Kelley (2004). Chanteuse in the City: The Realist Singer in French Film (1 ed.). University of California Press. doi:10.1525/j.ctt1ppxzr?turn_away=true&searchText=%22Paris%20B%C3%A9guin%22%20Gabin&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Paris+B%C3%A9guin%22+Gabin&so=rel&ab_segments=0/spellcheck_phrase_search/test&refreqid=fastly-default:c9426028fbd07c1cc6bfd322a0bcef58. ISBN 978-0-520-24019-3.
  3. ^ Higbee & Leahy p.248
  4. ^ Juan, Myriam (1 April 2014). "« Encore une admiratrice ! » À quoi sert une star de cinéma : réflexion à l'aune de lettres de spectateurs et de spectatrices (début des années 1920, début des années 1930)". Mise au point. Cahiers de l’association française des enseignants et chercheurs en cinéma et audiovisuel (in French) (6). doi:10.4000/map.1684. ISSN 2261-9623.
  5. ^ Conway, Kelley (2004). Chanteuse in the City: The Realist Singer in French Film (1 ed.). University of California Press. doi:10.1525/j.ctt1ppxzr?turn_away=true&searchText=%22Paris%20B%C3%A9guin%22%20Gabin&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Paris+B%C3%A9guin%22+Gabin&so=rel&ab_segments=0/spellcheck_phrase_search/test&refreqid=fastly-default:b5b511af69abb54c089bf5c6353e13d3. ISBN 978-0-520-24019-3.

Bibliography

  • Higbee, Will & Leahy, Sarah. Studies in French Cinema: UK Perspectives, 1985-2010. Intellect Books, 2011.
  • List of contemporary reviews on CalIndex (In French)