La marseillaise (1938)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writers:

Jean Renoir (screenplay)
Carl Koch (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 April 1938 (Finland)

Genre:

History

Plot:

A news-reel like movie about early part of the Frensh Revolution, shown from the eyes of individual people...

Plot Keywords:

La Marseillaise | French Revolution | France

Cast

Pierre Renoir	...	Le Roi de France Louis XVI
Lise Delamare	...	La Reine Marie-Antoinette (as Lise Delamare de la Comédie Française)
Léon Larive	...	Picard, le valet du roi
William Aguet	...	La Rochefoucauld
Elisa Ruis	...	La princesse de Lamballe
Germaine Lefébure	...	Madame Élisabeth, soeur du roi (as G. Lefebure)
Louis Jouvet	...	Roederer
Georges Spanelly	...	La Chesnaye (as Spanelly)
Jaque Catelain	...	Le capitaine Langlade
Pierre Nay	...	Dubouchage
Edmond Castel	...	Leroux (as Castel)
Aimé Clariond	...	Monsieur de Saint Laurent (as Aimé Clariond de la Comédie Française)
André Zibral	...	Monsieur de Saint Merri (as Zibral)
Jean Aymé	...	Monsieur de Fauguerolles (as Jean Ayme)
Irène Joachim	...	Madame de Saint Laurent

Also Known As:

La Marseillaise (USA)
La marseillaise - Chronique de quelques faits ayant contribué à la chute de la monarchie (France) (long title)
The Marseillaise (UK)

Runtime:

135 min | USA:130 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Alsace, France

Company:

Société d'Exploitation et de Productions Cinématographiques "La Marseillaise"

Trivia:

Filmed in the fall of 1937.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Jean Renoir: Part One - From La Belle Époque to World War II (1993) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Musique ancienne

pleasant historical piece

This film was an opportunity to view the French revolution from the view of the common people. Most viewers have only seen, perhaps, A TALE OF TWO CITIES or THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, so this film does offer fresh insights. However, to me, some of the dialog and one-sidedness of the film seemed as one-dimensional as the other two movies I just mentioned.

The film deals with events from 1789 to 1792 and so it really doesn't delve into the bloodier years of the Reign of Terror. It is understandable that these abuses aren't covered in depth, but to omit the be-headings completely seems rather dishonest. I'd really like to see a film that gives a balanced view of this period, but have yet to see it--and that's a shame, as it's a fascinating and tumultuous period.

FYI--From my point of view as a history teacher, it does seem amazing that within only two years of the completion of this very rousing and patriotic film the French capitulated to the Nazis.