|
|
|
Le Fauteuil 47
1937 Comedy / Romance
| |
Credits
-
Director: Fernand Rivers
-
Script: Louis Verneuil, based on his play
-
Music: Vincent Scotto
-
Cast: Henri Garat (Paul Séverac),
Françoise Rosay (Gilberte
Boulanger),
Raimu (Theillard),
André Lefaur (le baron Edouard Lebray),
Denise Bosc (Loulou),
Marcelle Yrven (Mme Theillard),
Jeanne Helbling (Mme Argueil),
Robert Seller (Francis),
Marcel Vidal (Max Varigny),
Nina Myral (l'habilleuse de Gilberte),
Denise Berley (Geneviève)
-
Country: France
-
Language: French
-
Runtime: 95 min; B&W
|
|
|
|
| |
Summary
Gilberte Boulanger is a distinguished stage actress. Paul Séverac is her
most fervent admirer. Each night, Paul attends Gilberte’s performance, taking seat
number 47 in the theatre. When she learns that she is facing financial ruin, Gilberte
insists that the loyal occupant of seat 47 be brought to her dressing room so that she
can work her charms on him. During the interval, another man, the Baron Edouard
Lebray, takes Paul’s seat and is mistakenly taken to see Gilberte. For the ageing
baron, this is a great honour and he wastes no time in winning his way into Gilberte’s
affections. Later, when Paul visits Gilberte at her home to declare his love for
her, the actress mistakenly thinks he has come to ask if he can marry her daughter, Loulou.
Unable to disentangle himself from the misunderstandings, Paul ends up marrying Loulou,
a satisfactory arrangement at first, but it isn’t long before they start to fall out.
When Loulou arranges to dine out with a male friend, Paul decides to take a mistress.
It will take all of Gilberte’s guile and charm to resolve this domestic rift. Her
ex-husband, the down-to-earth gym instructor Theillard, feels obliged to lend a helping
hand...
Review
Louis Verneuil’s stage play Le Fauteuil 47 was
first adapted for cinema by Gaston Ravel in 1926. This stylish 1937 re-make was
directed by Fernand Rivers and starred four high-profile actors of the 1930s - Raimu,
Françoise Rosay, André Lefaurn and Henri Garat. The strong cast brings
a touch of class to what is pretty much a conventional French farce in which the plot
is driven by curious coincidences and improbable misunderstandings. Although somewhat
dated, the film, with its cheerful score and two uplifting musical numbers, retains its
sense of fun and still makes entertaining viewing.
© James Travers 2006
|
|
Buy this film:
|
|
|
|
