Monsieur Chasse (1947)
Directed by Willy Rozier

Film Review

Georges Feydeau's famous play Monsieur Chasse is given a suitably exuberant rendering in this lively farce, one of the more watchable directorial offerings from Willy Rozier (who is better known for the limp melodramas he would subsequently helm).  Not the most inspired of filmmakers, Rozier directs the film as if it were a stage play, and this is probably no bad thing as it allows him to exploit the comic potential of Feydeau's play to the full, giving his cast carte blanche to go way, way over the top with their full bodied comedy performances.

Recently elevated to stardom after his star-making appearance in Marcel Blistène's film noir Macadam (1946), Paul Meurisse sports a very different face to the one he is known for, and absolutely revels in playing the clown, which he does with his customary poise and elegance.  Rarely (if ever) has Meurisse given a more spirited farceur performance, one that would look dreadful in anything other than a Feydeau comedy.  Noëlle Norman makes a superb Léontine and, with her stunning looks and flair for comedy, you are left wondering just why she never became a far bigger star than she was.  Frédéric Duvallès is a fine choice for the thankless part of Duchatel but he is virtually eclipsed by his more charismatic and entertaining co-stars.  By remaining faithful to Feydeau's play (apart from a tagged on silly ending) Monsieur Chasse is a non-stop romp, easily one of the more enjoyable French comedies of the 1940s.

Film Synopsis

As he pursues an extramarital affair, the bourgeois Monsieur Duchatel lets his attractive young wife Léontine think he is spending his free time hunting.  Convinced of her husband's fidelity, Léontine ignores the hints dropped by her loyal friend Dr Moricet that Duchatel has a mistress.  When she learns the truth, Léontine is so outraged that she make up her mind to pay back her unfaithful husband by starting an affair with Moricet...