French film photo galley for 1940

French films of the 1940s

La Fille du puisatier (1940)

La Fille du puisatier is an engaging drama which exudes poignancy, primarily because of the excellent acting performances. The film’s length (nearly three hours for the complete version) does make it a marathon affair which does dilute its impact. Raimu is as powerful as ever as the apparently stubborn principled countryman... [More...]

Menaces (1940)

Edmond T. Gréville’s Menaces is defined by a dual aspect (the best of human nature, the worst of human nature, the longing for peace, the inevitability of war, etc) that reflected the time in which the film was made (in the months preceding the start of World War II) and also the film’s chequered production... [More...]

Monsieur Hector (1940)

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... [More...]

Paris-New York (1940)

Not so much a film as a series of largely unconnected sketches, few of which are scripted with any originality or flair. The prestigious cast list is certainly a draw, but hardly makes up for the mediocre screenplay and uninspired direction. Erich von Stroheim was to have appeared in the film, but he left for America before it was completed (after a hiatus caused by the outbreak of WWII)... [More...]

L'Assassinat du Père Noël (1941)

A stylish melange of fairy tale, romance, melodrama and suspense thriller, L’Assassinat du Père Noël is typical of French cinema of the early 1940s. Whilst France lived through its darkest hour, its cinema attained a quality of form and expression which is virtually unmatched in any other period. Some of the brightest... [More...]

L'Enfer des anges (1941)

One of the most surprising French films to have been made in the late 1930s is this grim social realist drama which is years ahead of its time in its uncompromising portrayal of child abuse and juvenile delinquency. The film’s stark neo-realist style instantly calls to mind the Italian neo-realist masterpieces that would be made in the following decade... [More...]

Le Dernier des six (1941)

This early example of the French mystery crime thriller (or ‘polar’) manages to evoke the American film noir genre which inspired it, most notably in the shadowy sets and atmospheric photography. It also manages to bring in another important genre of American cinema in the 1930s and ‘40s, the lavish song and dance film... [More...]

Remorques (1941)

Remorques continues the trend in poetic realism which was so popular in French cinema in the 1930s and reunites stars Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan (previously seen together in Marcel Carné’s film Le Quai des brumes) in another ill-fated romance. The familiar formula is perhaps showing signs of fatigue in this film... [More...]

La Romance de Paris (1941)

One of the most famous and best-loved of French film musicals, Romance de Paris is probably the closest that French cinema managed to get to recreating the glamour and charm of the traditional Hollywood musical of the 1930s and 40s. It was directed by Jean Boyer, the best (if not the only) French director of the genre. The film musical is not well represented in French cinema—lack of popular... [More...]

Volpone (1941)

One of the finest French language adaptations of an English play, Volpone should be regarded as nothing less than a masterpiece of filmed theatrical farce, although the film is scarcely known today. The film is based on the play "Volpone" by the Elizabethan playwright, Ben Jonson, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, skilfully translated into French by Jules Romains... [More...]

Dernier atout (1942)

Jacques Becker’s first film is a rather obvious attempt to emulate the American gangster movie / film noir genre. It is, for all that, an impressive début for the man who is most often credited for popularising the crime/thriller genre in France in the 1950s. Whilst not as stylish or confident as Becker’s subsequent policier... [More...]

Le Destin fabuleux de Désirée Clary (1942)

Le Destin fabuleux de Désirée Clary typefies the kind of lavish historical drama with which Sacha Guitry is perhaps most associated. Although less inspired than his subsequent historical films, such as Napoléon (1955) and Si Versailles m’était conté (1954), it is a solid piece of cinema... [More...]

L'Assassin habite au 21 (1942)

Clouzot’s first full length film is a mild contrast with the dark, suspense-laden thrillers for which the director is best known (Les Diaboliques, Le Salaire de la peur ), but it is an excellent example of the early polar genre of the 1940s. L’Assassin habite au 21 is a comedy thriller whodunnit which, although lighter than Clouzot’s later films... [More...]

La Symphonie fantastique (1942)

Christian-Jaque directed this grand but somewhat anaemic historical bio-pic, made for the Germany-run company Continental at the time of the Occupation. Although the sequence where Berlioz realises his Symphonie fantastique is filmed imaginatively, the film generally lacks the creative impulse and atmosphere of Christian-Jaque’s other works of this period... [More...]

Les Affaires sont les affaires (1942)

Part morality play, part social satire, Les Affaires sont les affaires is one of those films that seems destined to be relevant to any audience that watches it. It is the second film adaptation of a celebrated stage play of the same title, written by the great playwright Octave Mirbeau, first performed in 1903. (Otis Turner directed the first film version... [More...]

Les Inconnus dans la maison (1942)

This atmospheric work excels mainly on the strength of the performance of its lead actor, Raimu, arguably one of French cinema’s greatest talents. Few other actors from this period could have conveyed so convincingly the transformation we see the film’s main character undergo as he suddenly discovers a reason for living after years of withdrawal... [More...]

Les Visiteurs du soir (1942)

Les Visiteurs du soir is one of a series of undisputed masterpieces which came out of the fruitful collaboration between director Marcel Carné and screenwriter Jacques Prévert. The film was hailed as a major cinematographic achievement upon its release in 1942 and was one of the most popular films made under the Nazi Occupation... [More...]

Macao, l'enfer du jeu (1942)

This is the first of Jean Delannoy’s many great film triumphs, and probably his best. In a film laden with menace and mistrust, he tells a complex story that is both satisfying emotionally and immensely watchable. The sets offer an impressive reconstruction of the gambling port of Macao, complete with a bustling casino... [More...]

Simplet (1942)

Simplet paints an affectionate portrait of Provençal life, reminiscent of Marcel Pagnol’s film depiction of the French rural community in its cosy parochialism, but with the stereotypes reinforced for comic effect. The film was directed by its star, the comic genius Fernandel, and the result is, not surprisingly... [More...]

Adrien (1943)

The pressures of working for Continental Films seem not to have dented Fernandel’s enthusiasm one iota and in this entertaining farce – which he also directed – the great comic actor gives a typically ebullient performance. The Nazi-run company was clearly keen to exploit Fernandel’s popularity, and maybe allowing the comedian to direct the film was a cheap way of... [More...]

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