Maria Chapdelaine (1934)

Director:

Julien Duvivier

Writers:

Louis Hémon (novel)
Julien Duvivier (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 September 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young woman living with her family on the frontier in Quebec, Canada, endures the hardships of isolation and climate...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Madeleine Renaud	...	Maria Chapdelaine (as Madeleine Renaud Sociétaire de la Comédie Française)
Suzanne Desprès	...	Laura Chapdelaine
Gaby Triquet	...	Alma-Rose Chapdelaine
Maximilienne	...	Azelma Larouche (as Maximilienne Max)
Jean Gabin	...	François Paradis
Jean-Pierre Aumont	...	Lorenzo Surprenant
André Bacqué	...	Samuel Chapdelaine (as André Bacqué Sociétaire de la Comédie Française)
Alexandre Rignault	...	Eutrope Gagnon
Daniel Mendaille	...	Le curé
Robert Le Vigan	...	Tit-Sèbe, le rebouteux
Thomy Bourdelle	...	Esdras Chapdelaine
Edmond Van Daële	...	Le docteur
Émile Genevois	...	Tit-Bé Chapdelaine
Fred Barry	...	Nazaire Larouche
Pierre Laurel	...	Ephrem Surprenant

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Mélodium)

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Peribonka, Québec, Canada

Company:

Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)

Trivia:

There are two cast lists in the title credits. The first one only lists the 6 main players as follows: Madeleine Renaud (as Madeleine Renaud Sociétaire de la Comédie Française), Jean Gabin, Jean-Pierre Aumont, André Bacqué (as André Bacqué Sociétaire de la Comédie Française), Alexandre Rignault and Suzanne Desprès. Then a full cast list details all female players along with their respective character names, followed by the male cast (also with the names of their characters).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Maria can be seen picking blueberries in a tree.

Movie Connections:

Version of La mort d'un bûcheron (1973)

Dedicated to you Oystein....

...you who love the French culture and without whom I could not have written these comments on Duvivier's earlier films which I had not seen for years.

"Maria Chapdelaine " is Canadian,you're going to tell me.But Duvivier almost treated Hémon's book as a musical.And all the songs we can hear are part (with the exception of "Alouette" ,pure Canadian stuff,but which is popular in France too)of the French national heritage.Songs of love "A la Claire Fontaine",François Paradis's favorite, country songs ("Marianne s'en Va-t-Au -Moulin" ), naughty ditties (the delightful "Son Voile qui Volait") ,Christmas carols ("Minuit Chrétiens "(aka "O Holy Night" ) and "IL est Né Le Divin Infant")and more more....

More a chronicle than a real story,"Maria Chapdelaine" is one of the rare Duvivier movies which do not feature villains.No evil here but people who have to struggle hard all their life against a hostile nature (the horse falling in the snow is a beautiful metaphor) ;the only culture they get is religion ("Maria ,if you say 1,000 "Ave Maria" before Xmas,your dream will come true") or superstition (the bonesetter).Gabin's first part (and it will not be the last!)in a Duvivier's movie:Duvivier really MADE Gabin.Jean-Pierre Aumont appears in a part of a young man who has moved to the city.

The cinematography is dazzling (even is the copy is as awful as you said ,Oystein):they say Ingmar Bergman used to dissect Duvivier's works.