French film photo galley for 1950

French films of the 1950s

Cet homme est dangereux (1953)

The enormous success of La Môme vert-de-gris (1953) made Lemmy Caution’s return to the big screen inevitable. Sure enough, within a matter of months, Eddie Constantine reprised the role of the famous FBI agent in this, the second of what was to be a greatly loved series of French films over the following decade... [More...]

Dortoir des grandes (1953)

Henri Decoin shows his mastery of the crime thriller genre in this entertaining whodunnit, which owes more to Agatha Christie than to the French film noir tradition. In contrast to Decoin’s better known thrillers, Dortoir des grandes combines the familiar suspense drama with light comedy, a mixture which works surprisingly well... [More...]

L'Ennemi public no 1 (1953)

Jules Dassin was the man who was originally slated to direct Fernandel in this lavish gangster film parody. When he was unable to return to the United States to shoot the film’s exterior locations scenes, he was replaced by Henri Verneuil, who had previously worked with Fernandel on a number of occasions. Verneuil succeeds in evoking the essence of the American gangster film... [More...]

La Môme vert-de-gris (1953)

The previously unknown Eddie Constantine became an overnight star in France when La Môme vert-de-gris was released in 1953, one of the most popular films of that year. The French cinemagoer’s appetite for all things American, in particular noirish gangster films, was rewarded by this tongue-in-cheek pastiche of the B-movie genre... [More...]

La Vie d'un honnête homme (1953)

As he neared the end of his prolific career as a writer and director, Sacha Guitry expressed, through his work, an increasing sense of pessimism and disillusionment with the world, particularly the self-satisfied bourgeois milieu that he inhabited. Nowhere is this more apparent than in La Vie d’un honnête homme ... [More...]

Le Boulanger de Valorgue (1953)

In the fourth of his nine film collaborations with director Henri Verneuil, Fernandel gives a characteristically touching and whimsical performance as the temperamental village baker. Music for the film was composed by Nino Rota, who is better known for scoring the films of the great Italian film director, Federico Fellini.... [More...]

Le Carrosse d'or (1953)

Le Carrosse d’Or is the film which marked the return of Jean Renoir to European film-making after his 13 year stay in the United States. It is a lavish production, beautifully filmed in colour, with music provided by Vivaldi. The film was made in English and filmed in Rome, and three versions of the film were released (in English... [More...]

Le Retour de Don Camillo (1953)

After the international success of Le Petit monde de Don Camillo in 1951, a sequel – with comic star Fernandel in the role of the pugnacious priest – was inevitable. Julien Duvivier’s direction and Fernandel’s larger-than-life performance prevents Le Retour de Don Camillo from being an inferior sequel to the first film... [More...]

Le Salaire de la peur (1953)

Probably one of the most harrowing two and half hours of cinema, Le salaire de la peur is not a film for the squeamish – or the sentimental. It is director Henri-Georges Clouzot’s undisputed masterpiece and unquestionably one of the great triumphs of French cinema. Yet it is not a comfortable film, and even having such a familiar face as Yves Montand as a lead character does little... [More...]

Les Orgueilleux (1953)

Les Orgueilleux was an ambitious attempt to break with the conventional romantic drama which dominated French cinema in the early 1950s. Filmed mainly on location in Mexico and with some graphic depictions of human suffering, it has an hard-edged authenticity which the Paris-bound studio dramas of the period lacked. Some of the images in the film still retain their power to shock... [More...]

Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953)

Having established himself as a director and comic performer in Jour de fête, Jacques Tati won international acclaim with his next film, Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot. The film won a brace of awards across the globe, not least of which the Prix de la Critique at Cannes in 1953 and the Prix Louis Delluc 1953. Significantly... [More...]

Lucrèce Borgia (1953)

This sumptuous Franco-Italian blockbuster production exemplifies historical film dramas of the 1950s – beautifully shot in Technicolor and showing a meticulous attention to detail in its lavish costume and set design, to say nothing of the exciting, well-choreographed action sequences. Whilst the film may be legitimately criticised for its overly sympathetic portrayal of Lucrezia Borgia... [More...]

Manon des sources (1953)

Marcel Pagnol’s penultimate film is this epic tale which masterfully portrays the frailties of human nature through some extraordinary performances and a characteristically well-crafted script. The Provençal setting is, as ever, central to Pagnol’s narrative, emphasising not just the vulnerability of its human inhabitants (who are totally dependent on scarce water sources)... [More...]

Rue de l'estrapade (1953)

Whilst not in the same league as some of Jacques Becker’s better films (most notably Casque d’or, which was made immediately before this one), Rue de l’estrapade is a pleasing example of mid-1950s French melodrama. Becker had the good sense not to dress the film up as anything other than a straightforward romantic drama... [More...]

Thérèse Raquin (1953)

Thérèse Raquin is one of the few films made by Marcel Carné after World War II which has the stature of his earlier triumphs. With its tale of doomed love in an atmosphere-laden setting, the film is unmistakably Carné. As in many of his films, the protagonists are victims in a cruel game of fate... [More...]

L'Air de Paris (1954)

Whilst not in the league of Marcel Carné’s pre-WWII classics, L’Air de Paris is a pleasing example of the director’s art, a light melodrama on the folly of young love set in that eternal city of romance, Paris. Carné’s humanity and keen understanding of human nature is evident throughout and whilst the story is admittedly the stuff of fairy tales or trite... [More...]

Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs (1954)

It has to be said that this is not Jacques Becker’s best film. At worst, it is a pretty bland re-telling of a very familiar fairy tale, with lukewarm comedy, drawn-out dance routines, and a rather tatty ending. However, for all that, the film does show some signs that this is the work of a great director. The action is often fast and fierce... [More...]

Cadet-Rousselle (1954)

Swashbuckling action historicals were hugely popular in France in the 1950s, and André Hunebelle was presumably hoping to capitalise on the success of Christian-Jaque’s 1952 film Fanfan la Tulipe with his own early offering in the genre. Cadet-Rousselle (1954) sees the improbable casting of François Périer as the lead romantic adventurer... [More...]

French Cancan (1954)

French cancan marks director Jean Renoir’s spectacular return to French cinema, after a 15 year long absence, working mainly in the United States. Comparing this film with his earlier works, the difference in cinematographic style is striking, and the Hollywood imprint is noticeably present. Because of this, the film has a greater visual impact... [More...]

Le Mouton à cinq pattes (1954)

Fernandel gives not one but six great comic performances in this hilarious comedy from director Henri Verneuil (who is perhaps better known for his crime thriller than burlesque comedies such as this). The film comprises a series of comic instalments, in each of which Fernandel plays a different character, showing both his great versatility and comic flair.... [More...]

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