The Flame of New Orleans (1941)

Director:

René Clair

Writer:

Norman Krasna (written by)

Release Date:

25 April 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | History | Romance

Plot:

In old New Orleans, a beautiful adventuress juggles the attentions of a rich banker and a dashing sea captain.

Plot Keywords:

Adventuress | 1840s | Banker | Duel | Fainting

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Marlene Dietrich	...	Countess Claire Ledoux, aka Lili
Bruce Cabot	...	Robert Latour
Roland Young	...	Charles Giraud
Mischa Auer	...	Zolotov
Andy Devine	...	Andrew, The First Sailor
Frank Jenks	...	Second Sailor
Eddie Quillan	...	Third Sailor
Laura Hope Crews	...	Auntie
Franklin Pangborn	...	Bellows
Theresa Harris	...	Clementine, Claire's Maid
Clarence Muse	...	Samuel, Carriage Driver
Melville Cooper	...	Brother-in-Law
Anne Revere	...	Giraud's Sister
Bob Evans	...	William
Emily Fitzroy	...	Giraud's Cousin Amelia

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #7201) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Last movie sisters Barbara and Gloria Brewster made together.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Scarlet Angel (1952)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Is the Blush of May

Die Marlene-- Always great!

This is a delightful old film with a cast of characters, from Bruce Cabot, who plays the captain and romantic interest, to Andy Devine, Frank Jenks, Mischa Auer and a whole bunch of studio character actors. Roland Young, who delighted us in the original Topper with Cary Grant, plays the befuddled count who plans to marry Die Marlene on the pretext she's an innocent young darling. The scene where the New Orleans ladies take Marlene aside to give her a little lecture on the "burden of womanhood she'll have to endure" after her marriage is priceless, with the tiny smirk that plays across Marlene's face (given her well-known history, it makes it doubly funny). While this little film isn't (and wasn't)a great shake at the box office at the time, it is delightful to see Die Marlene, always beautiful in that classic, classy European sense, at her best.