Denise, an orphaned girl, moves to Paris where she hopes to find work at her uncle’s store. But the glamorous department store ‘Aux Bonheur des Dames’ across the street crunches all the little businesses around. She finds a position there.Read More »
Julien Duvivier
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Julien Duvivier – Au bonheur des dames (1930)
1921-1930DramaFranceJulien DuvivierSilent -
Julien Duvivier – Le mystère de la tour Eiffel (1928)
1921-1930ArchitectureDramaFranceJulien DuvivierSilentOne of two circus twins is cheated of an inheritance by his double, who sets himself up in a chateau.Only to be threatened by a sinister black hooded sect. Rollicking adventures follow, culminating with a big chase on the Eiffel Tower.Read More »
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Julien Duvivier – La divine croisière AKA The Heavenly Crusade (1929)
1921-1930FranceJulien DuvivierSilentA wealthy man sends his crew sailing on an old tub ;The men realize there’s money to be made with the alcohol they transport.The ship sinks but the shipowner’s daughter, who is in love with the captain of the missing boat, go in search of the lost crew survivors with a handful of sailor men.God Himself intervenes and “shows the way” across the “way of gold” .Read More »
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Julien Duvivier – Marianne de ma jeunesse AKA Marianne of My Youth (1955)
Julien Duvivier1951-1960DramaFantasyFranceIn a Bavarian forest, the pupils of a boarding school are about to have their lives changed by the arrival of Vincent, a young man who can charm wild animals with his guitar. One day Vincent ventures across the lake and meets the mysterious Marianne…Read More »
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Julien Duvivier – Le petit roi aka The Little King (1933)
Julien Duvivier1931-1940ComedyDramaFranceThe young monarch of a kingdom situated in eastern Europe is sent to France because of his poor health status. There, he meets again with his mother who had been exiled from the kingdom.Read More »
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Julien Duvivier – Un carnet de bal AKA Christine AKA Dance Program (1937)
Julien Duvivier1931-1940ComedyDramaFranceA rich widow, nostalgic for the lavish parties of her youth, embarks on a journey to reconnect with the many suitors who once courted her. In doing so, she sets off on a course of discovery, both of herself and of how greatly the world has changed in two decades. Julien Duvivier’s smash hit is a wry, visually inventive tale of romantic pragmatism that deftly combines comedy and drama.Read More »
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Julien Duvivier – Tales of Manhattan (1942)
Julien Duvivier1941-1950ComedyDramaUSABrief Synopsis:
An actor, Paul Orman, is accidentally told that his new, custom made tail coat has been cursed and it will bring misfortune to all who wear it. As the 4 succeeding wearers of the coat discover, misfortune can often lead to truth.Read More » -
Julien Duvivier – Pot-Bouille AKA Lovers of Paris (1957)
1951-1960ClassicsDramaFranceJulien DuvivierSynopsis:
Paris, 1865. Octave Mouret is a young man filled with great ambitions. He is also a consummate Don Juan and it his talent for seducing members of the opposite sex which he intends using to make a rapid ascent of the social scale. He finds work as a salesman in an upmarket drapers’ shop, Au Bonheur des Dames, and soon makes a positive impression on his employer, Madame Hédouin. When the latter repels his amorous advances, Octave resigns and finds work with a rival shop managed by Auguste Vabre, the weak-willed son of his landlord. When Auguste discovers that Octave is having an affair with his wife, Berthe, he challenges him to a duel…
— James TraversRead More » -
Julien Duvivier – Le Diable et les Dix Commandements AKA The Devil and the Ten Commandments (1962)
Drama1961-1970ComedyFranceJulien DuvivierQuote:
The multi-part film is a difficult kind of cinema to get right but Duvivier’s Le Diable et les dix commandements is a rare exception where the form succeeds admirably. The film consists of seven roughly 15 minute sketches, each showing what may happen if one or more of the Ten Commandments is broken. Each sketch is self-contained (except for the last which returns to the first) and linked by a nasty slithery serpent who has a very strange sense of humour. The sketches are either mini-dramas, usually with a clever twist at the end (the best instance of this being the second sketch: “Do not commit adultery”), or comic. The sketch featuring “Do no steal” is an outrageous comic farce with Jean-Claude Brialy and Louis de Funès, made even more hilarious by Duvivier’s unsubtle attempt to ape the New Wave film directors.Read More »