Madeleine Sologne

  • Pierre Koralnik – Salomé (1969)

    1961-1970ExperimentalFrancePierre KoralnikTV

    Quote:
    Salome was the daughter of Herod II and Herodias. According to the New Testament, the daughter of Herodias demanded and received the head of John the Baptist. This is a choreographed version of the play by Oscar Wilde.Read More »

  • Jean Delannoy – L’éternel retour AKA Love Eternal AKA The Eternal Return (1943)

    France1941-1950DramaFrench cinema under the OccupationJean DelannoyRomance

    This is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde, set in 1940s France. The script was written by Jean Cocteau.Read More »

  • André Zwobada – Croisières sidérales AKA Sideral Cruises (1942)

    1941-1950André ZwobodaComedyFranceSci-Fi

    It may be the first time they have used the theory of relativity in a story.Read More »

  • André Cayatte – Le dessous des cartes AKA Under the Cards (1948)

    André Cayatte1941-1950FranceMystery
    Le dessous des cartes (1948)
    Le dessous des cartes (1948)

    Synopsis:
    ‘His criminal activities exposed, a crooked financier named Géraudy takes flight and intends to make his escape across the alpine border with the help of a young smuggler, Manu. When his wife Florence declines to join him, Géraudy hangs himself, thus depriving her of his life insurance. Florence persuades Inspecteur Nansen that Géraudy’s death was murder not suicide, and Manu is soon arrested as the obvious suspect. Manu’s only hope is a suicide note written by Géraudy just before he killed himself, but this he has entrusted to his girlfriend. The latter cannot forgive Manu when she sees him with Florence and so it appears that an innocent young man will be condemned for Géraudy’s supposed murder…’
    – James TraversRead More »

  • Pierre Chenal – La foire aux chimères aka Carnival of Illusions (1946)

    1941-1950DramaFranceHorrorPierre Chenal

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    A word from an expert on the area: dbmonteil of the IMDb:

    “La Foire aux chimères” is a jewel, a sparkling diamond. It would deserve one hundred comments, and that would not be enough.

    Pierre Chenal was a film noir director who made moderately successful movies before the war: “L’Alibi” which featured von Stroheim too and his first version of “The Postman always rings twice “, “Le Dernier Tournant (1939). But the 1946 work is much superior, being at once a film noir, a baroque melodrama and a fairy tale.

    Frank, a disfigured man (von Stroheim) meets at a fair a beautiful blind long-haired blonde Jeanne (Madeleine Sologne) who is a knives thrower’s partner; this man, Robert, has a lover, Clara. Jeanne marries the ugly man, undergoes an operation and recovers sight. But,as says Marilou, Frank’s housekeeper a proverb says “happiness is a misfortune you cannot see”.Read More »

  • Richard Pottier – Le Monde tremblera aka The World Will Shake AKA The Revolt of the Living (1939)

    France1931-1940ClassicsRichard PottierSci-Fi

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    Synopsis:
    In this sci-fi film, a scientist invents a prescient machine that can tell people when they will die. Oddly enough, the people do not want to know and therefore begin to riot…

    Review:
    With capital supplied by the unscrupulous banker Emil Lasser, Dr Jean Durand succeeds in creating a machine that can predict, to the nearest minute, when an individual will die. A ruthless man facing financial ruin, Lasser intends using Durand’s invention for a crooked life insurance business, but the scientist refuses to go along with the scheme, even though he is in love with Lasser’s daughter, Marie‐France. Subjecting himself to Durand’s machine, Lasser learns he has only a few days left to live. He ends up committing suicide, after leaving a note to his daughter warning her to stay away from Durand. As Marie‐France embarks on a new romance with Durand’s best friend Dr Gérard Gallois, Durand begins capitalising on his invention and soon has a steady stream of clients eager to know the exact date of their demise. The implications of Durand’s discovery soon hits home when people, knowing they have only a short time to live, begin behaving in an irresponsible manner. Durand realises too late that he has created a monster…Read More »

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