Daily Archives: December 28, 2015

French Cancan (1954)
Directed by Jean Renoir
Written by Jean Renoir and Andre-Paul Antoine
1954/France/Italy
Franco London Films/Jolly Film
Repeat viewing/My DVD collection

[box] Henri Danglard: You know why it breaks my heart to see you go? They can smash the place to pieces for all I care! But the profession’s losing a good trouper. I thought you were one of us. If not, get out! Line up for the quadrille, girls.[/box]

Jean Renoir finally returns to a liberated France to capture all the color and gaiety of Belle Epoque Paris in this fictionalized look at the birth of the Moulin Rouge and the Cancan.

Henri Danglard’s (Jean Gavin) nightclub is doing a lackluster business despite the attraction of Lola ‘La Belle Abbesse’ (Maria Felix), a fiery Spanish beauty who belly-dances and sings for the crowd.  Henri and Lola are having an affair.  One night they decide to go slumming in Montmarte.  There Henri finds that people are still dancing the cancan.  He dreams of opening a place where the bourgeoise could enjoy moderately priced luxuries and beautiful, untarnished girls.

He also notices a young laundress dancing at the cafe, who appears to have the requisite talent.  Her name is Nini (Françoise Arnoul).  Danglard dances with her, sparking the jealousy that will consume Lola for the rest of the film.  He asks Nini to try out for a show.  She assumes this offer will include a visit to the casting couch so moves quickly to lose her virginity to her baker sweetheart Paolo.  But Danglard treats her only with gentlemanly courtesy,

The rest of the movie follows the Danglard’s money woes in builiding the Moulin Rouge and the training of the dancers.  Eventually, Danglard and Nini begin an affair leading to typical love dramas with Lola, Paulo, and a Russian Prince who has taken a fancy to Nini.  But the plot is very secondary to several musical numbers and the spendid dancing.

After a long exile, Renoir returned to his beloved Paris in a mood to recreate her most glamorous days.  He also masters his father’s ways with the faces and figures of beautiful women.  He found the perfect rosy Renoir subject in Arnoul.  Gabin lost little of his sex appeal as he aged.  This is all handled in such a way that it might very well appeal to musical comedy naysayers.  Recommended.

Clip – Edith Piaf

The Belles of St. Trinian’s
Directed by Frank Launder
Written by Frank Launder, Sidney Gilliat and Frank Valentine inspired by the original drawings of the Girls and Staff of St. Trinian’s by Ronald Searle
1954/UK
London Film Productions/British Lion Film Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental

Arabella: Monica Drew wasn’t expelled when she burnt down the gymnasium.
Miss Fritton: The gymnasium was insured! The sports pavilion was not.

If you are ready for some non-stop mayhem from some cheeky schoolgirls and their equally delinquent teachers, this movie may be right up your alley. Alistair Sim is outstanding in a dual role as Miss Fritton, the headmistress and her twin bookie brother  Clarence.

An Arab prince decides to send Fatima, one of his many daughters, abroad for a Western education.  St. Trinian’s is considered ideal as it is located near the prince’s prize racehorses.

Fatima arrives at a time when chronic mismanagement and pilferage have caused a squadron of debtors to start breathing down the neck of Miss Fritton, who of course promptly confiscates Fatima’s pocket money to buy groceries.  The school has a long history of stymying the Board of Education and the police now plant a mole in the form of Sgt. Ruby Gates (Joyce Grenfell) who is posing as a hockey coach.  She is practically apoplectic with horror at the goings the entire time.

A visit from Clarence alerts Miss Fritton to the money to be made from backing the winner in an upcoming horse race.  Clarence has a horse in the race and is desperate that Arab Boy, the prince’s horse, not win. Miss Fritton sends out spies who discover that Arab Boy is virtually unbeatable. They gather their money for a large bet.  Another subset of girls has its money on Clarence’s horse.  Every underhanded trick in the book is played to fix the race as the custody of the horse changes several times.

Racing aside, the story is stuffed to the gills with gags featuring the misdeeds of the motley crew of students and their teacher co-cospirators. With George Cole as Flash Harry, a bookie and fence, and Hermoinie Baddley as one of the teachers.

The comedy is very broad indeed.  That’s not usually my favorite but there are so many gags and the comics are such pros that the smiles kept coming.

Montage of stills with theme music