Behind the Facade

Behind the Facade 1939

7.80

In the elevator of two large Parisian buildings, a telegraph operator discovers the body of an elderly woman, Madame Mathieu, the owner of both buildings. Boucheron (Lucien Baroux), the local superintendent, is dispatched to investigate, along with his rival, Inspector Lambert of the "Sûreté" (Jacques Baumer). To solve the enigma, they scour staircases and corridors, visiting every floor of both buildings, courtyard and facade. Their gruff rivalry allows them to complement each other in discovering who committed the crime among a gallery of characters, humble or rich, who all have something to be ashamed of... A rare, fast-paced, picturesque comedy set against the backdrop of a police mystery.

1939

Marianne, Meine Jugendliebe

Marianne, Meine Jugendliebe 1955

6.20

German-language version of Duvivier's MARIANNE DE MA JEUNESSE, filmed separately with a largely different cast (thus, not the same film). No known US release.

1955

Paris-New York

Paris-New York 1940

7.00

The forbidden romance between wealthy Giselle Preville and impoverished journalist Claude Dauphin. When Preville disappears, Dauphin is accused of kidnapping by the girl's snobbish father Rene Alexander. By the time the Normandie reaches New York, however, the "mystery" is solved and all misunderstandings blithely swept away.

1940

When a Woman Meddles

When a Woman Meddles 1957

5.20

French film favorite Edwige Feuillere plays a high-class gangster's moll named Maine. When Maine's first husband and daughter pay a visit, it's an awkward time for our heroine and her current amour, gang boss Godot (Jean Servais). In addition to fielding a lot of embarrassing questions, Godot also has to deal with a pesky turf war with a rival mobster. Not that the ex-husband is a paragon of virtue: he's busy trying to get even with a crooked business associate.

1957

Marianne of My Youth

Marianne of My Youth 1955

4.00

A new teenage student arrives at a prestige boarding school in Bavaria, having not only the ability to play the guitar and sing, but also to charm animals and detect ghosts. Quickly becoming part of a secretive club of five other students, he is inadvertently stranded by them at an abandoned chateau on an island in the middle of a large lake, where he encounters an enchanting young woman who wants to escape... Also filmed in a separate German-language version with largely different cast, MARIANNE MEINE JUGENDLIEBE, q.v.

1955

Mademoiselle and Her Gang

Mademoiselle and Her Gang 1957

6.00

Author of the best-selling crime novel Le Poulet se mange froid (Chicken Eats Cold) under the pseudonym Sam O'Connor, Inspector Bourdieux's daughter, Agnès, is unwillingly drawn into the gangster ring by two small-minded young misfits, Dédé and Juju. She's not insensitive to the charms of M. Paul, a false kingpin who is in fact a son of a good family and a thrill-seeker. Planning a heist at the home of one of Paul's snobbish friends, she arrests the real Sam O'Connor, an escaped convict, with the help of her father. Then she and Paul confess their love for each other.

1957

The Hunchback

The Hunchback 1944

1

The knight Henri de Lagardère wants to avenge the death of his friend, the duke Philippe de Nevers assassinated by the prince de Gonzague, a few years before.

1944

The Sinners

The Sinners 1949

6.10

Au Royaume des Cieux takes place in in a dreadful girls' reformatory. A couple of lovers will try to escape from this living hell.

1949

Woman of Malacca

Woman of Malacca 1937

6.80

Unhappy with her humdrum life as a provincial schoolteacher, Audrey Greenwood marries Major Carter, an officer in the British Army whom she does not love. Not long after the wedding Carter is on his way to Malaysia, accompanied by his wife, to take up a post in the British colony. During the long sea voyage, Audrey becomes acquainted with the handsome Prince Selim, the heir to the Malaysian throne. Life in the province of Malacca soon proves disagreeable to the free-spirited Englishwoman and she becomes a social outcast when her amorous affair with the prince is discovered.

1937

The Naked Heart

The Naked Heart 1950

1

At the beginning of the 20th century, in the North of the Province of Quebec. After five years spent in a boarding school, Maria Chapdelaine comes back to the family farm. Robert Gagnon, a villager and childhood friend, loves her secretly but Maria is wooed by Lorenzo Surprenant, a man who has fled his home town to escape the police. The one she is really in love with is François Paradis, a handsome trapper. The latter promises to marry her in the spring, as soon as he is back from the Far North. Robert, who is aware of how miserable Maria is, writes a letter to François , asking him to come back at once. Unfortunately, the young trapper is buried under the snow during a storm. As for Lorenzo he gets gunned down by the police. Finally understanding that Robert has sacrificed himself out of love for her, Maria accepts to become his wife.

1950

The Benefactor

The Benefactor 1942

7.20

A kind and generous village noble, specializing in good works, actually leads a double existence and carries out dishonest activities.

1942

The House of the Seven Maidens

The House of the Seven Maidens 1942

4.00

A widower is in trouble with money, and has seven daughters to marry. A creditor, a timid suitor, is unable to make up his mind.

1942

Manu the Smuggler

Manu the Smuggler 1948

6.00

Manu unwittingly accompanies a fugitive conman across the French border into Italy. Agreeing to meet later, the conman doesn't arrive at the arranged meeting point and is then discovered dead, with Manu the prime suspect.

1948