Liliom (1934)

Two women love the same man in a world of few prospects. In Budapest, Liliom is a "public figure," a rascal who's a carousel barker, loved by the experienced merry-go-round owner and by a ... See full summary »

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Ferenc Molnár (play), Robert Liebmann (adaptation),

Stars:

Charles Boyer, Madeleine Ozeray, Robert Arnoux

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Boyer	...	Liliom Zadowski
Madeleine Ozeray	...	Julie Boulard / Liliom and Julie's daughter
Robert Arnoux	...	Le tourneur (the Lathe Turner)
Roland Toutain	...	Le marin ivre (The Drunken Sailor)
Alexandre Rignault	...	Hollinger
Henri Richard	...	Le commissaire - The Commissioner
Marcel Barencey	...	Le policier du Purgatoire - Purgatory Cop (as Barencey)
Raoul Marco	...	L'inspecteur - The Detective
Antonin Artaud	...	Le rémouleur (The Knife Grinder)
Léon Arvel	...	L'employé du commissariat (Police station employee)
René Stern	...	Le caissier - Cashier
Mimi Funes	...	Marie (as Mimi Funès)
Maximilienne	...	Mme. Menoux
Viviane Romance	...	La marchande de cigarettes - Cigarette Girl
Mila Parély	...	La dactylo - Typist

Storyline

Two women love the same man in a world of few prospects. In Budapest, Liliom is a "public figure," a rascal who's a carousel barker, loved by the experienced merry-go-round owner and by a young, innocent maid. The maid, Julie, loses her job after going out with Liliom; he's fired by his jealous employer for going out with Julie. The two lovers move in with Julie's aunt; unemployment emasculates him and a local weasel tempts him with crime. Julie, now wan, is true to Liliom even in his bad temper. Meanwhile, a stolid widower, a carpenter, wants to marry Julie. Is there any future on this earth for Julie and Liliom, whose love is passionate rather than ideal?

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Plot Keywords:

barker | love | carousel | maid | unemployment | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 May 1934 (France)

Also Known As:

Coração Vadio

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Productions Fox Europa

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 85 min (edited) 118 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Liliom was reportedly Charles Boyer's favorite role.

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Quotes

Liliom Zadowski: Even in Heaven, there's only justice - nothing but justice!

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Crazy Credits

The two angels who play such an important role in the film are completely unmentioned in the cast.

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Connections

Version of Liliom (1919)

User Reviews

A Diamond in the Dust

I stumbled across this film on late-night French TV last night, having missed the opening credits, but I was immediately struck by the sophistication of the production. Within a few minutes I was convinced that it had to be a Friz Lang film that I'd never heard of, but it wasn't until I checked IMDb this morning that I was able to confirm that suspicion. I had no idea that the final section of the film, with the trains of the afterlife, was coming, and I was, as the Brits say, gob-smacked. Corny and theatrical, sure, but also strange, beautiful, well-acted, and filmed with an eye that was a generation ahead of its time.