Le Plaisir (1952) Le plaisir (original title)

Director:

Max Ophüls

Writers:

Guy de Maupassant (stories)
Jacques Natanson (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 May 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Three stories about the pleasure. The first one is about a man hiding his age behind a mask to keep going to balls and fancying women...

Plot Keywords:

Pleasure | Model | Niece | Painter | Mask

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Claude Dauphin	...	Le docteur (segment "Le Masque")
Gaby Morlay	...	Denise - la femme d"Ambroise (segment "Le Masque")
Madeleine Renaud	...	Julia Tellier (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Ginette Leclerc	...	Madame Flora dite Balançoire (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Mila Parély	...	Madame Raphaële (segment "La Maison Tellier") (as Mila Parely)
Danielle Darrieux	...	Madame Rosa (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Pierre Brasseur	...	Julien Ledentu - Le commis-voyageur (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Jean Gabin	...	Joseph Rivet (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Jean Servais	...	L'ami de Jean / La voix de Maupassant (segment "Le Modèle")
Daniel Gélin	...	Jean, le peintre (segment "Le Modèle") (as Daniel Gelin)
Simone Simon	...	Joséphine - le modèle (segment "Le Modèle")
Amédée	...	Frédéric - le serveur (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Paul Azaïs	...	Le patron du bal (segment "Le Masque")
Antoine Balpêtré	...	Monsieur Poulain - L'ancien maire (segment "La Maison Tellier") (as Balpétré)
René Blancard	...	Le maire (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Gaby Bruyère	...	Frimousse - La danseuse (segment "Le Masque")
Mathilde Casadesus	...	Madame Louise dite Cocotte (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Henri Crémieux	...	Monsieur Pimpesse (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Arthur Devère	...	Le contrôleur du train (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Paulette Dubost	...	Madame Fernande (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Jean Galland	...	Ambroise - le masque (segment "Le Masque")
Jocelyne Jany	...	La petite Constance Rivet (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Robert Lombard	...	Monsieur Philippe - Le fils du banquier (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Héléna Manson	...	Marie Rivet (segment "La Maison Tellier")
Marcel Pérès	...	Monsieur Duvert - l'armateur (segment "La Maison Tellier") (as Marcel Perès)
Jean Meyer	...	Monsieur Dupuis - L'assureur (segment "La Maison Tellier") (as Jean Meyer sociétaire de la Comédie Française)
Louis Seigner	...	Monsieur Tourneveau - le poissonier (segment "La Maison Tellier") (as Louis Seigner sociétaire de la Comédie Française)
Michel Vadet	...	Le marin (segment "Le Modèle" and "La Maison Tellier") (as Michèle Vadet)
Janine Viénot	...	La poule du docteur (segment "Le Masque") (as Janine Vienot)
Charles Vissière	...	Le vieux normand dans le train (segment "La Maison Tellier") (as Charles Vissières)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges Baconnet	...	Un client de la maison Tellier (segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Pierre-Louis Calvet	...	Le vicaire (uncredited)
Yvonne Dany	...	(segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Jo Dest	...	L'allemand (segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Émile Genevois	...	Le groom (segment "Le Masque") (uncredited)
François Harispuru	...	Monsieur Philippe - de dos (uncredited)
René Hell	...	Le garde-champêtre (segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Maïa Jusanova	...	(segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Roland Lesaffre	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Huguette Montréal	...	Une danseuse (segment "Le Masque") (uncredited)
Claire Olivier	...	Madame Tourneveau (segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Palau	...	Monsieur Vasse - le juge (segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
René Pascal	...	(segment "Le Modèle") (uncredited)
Colette Ripert	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Rognoni	...	Le curé (segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Marcel Rouzé	...	(segment "Le Modèle") (uncredited)
Peter Ustinov	...	Narrator (uncredited) (voice: English version)
Georges Vitray	...	Le capitaine (segment "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Anton Walbrook	...	Narrator, German Version (uncredited)
Liliane Yvernault	...	Une danseuse (segment "Le Masque") (uncredited)
Zélie Yzelle	...	La femme du paysan normand (uncredited)

Directed by
Max Ophüls

Writing credits
Guy de Maupassant		(stories)
Jacques Natanson		(adaptation) and
Max Ophüls		(adaptation)
Jacques Natanson		(dialogue)

Produced by
Édouard Harispuru	....	producer (segment "Le Modèle") (as E. Harispuru)
M. Kieffer	....	producer (segment "Le Masque" and "La Maison Tellier") (uncredited)
Max Ophüls	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Joe Hajos		(as Joe Hayos)

Cinematography by
Philippe Agostini		(segment "Le Modèle")
Christian Matras		(segment "Le Masque" and "La Maison Tellier")

Film Editing by
Léonide Azar

Production Design by
Jean d'Eaubonne		(as D'Eaubonne)

Set Decoration by
Robert Christidès		(as Christides)

Costume Design by
Georges Annenkov		(as Annenkoff)

Makeup Department
Carmen Brel	....	key makeup artist
Roger Chanteau	....	key makeup artist (as R. Chanteau)
Jules Chanteau	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Monique Isnard	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Simone Knapp	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Ben Barkay	....	production manager
Ralph Baum	....	production manager
Hugo Benedek	....	unit manager
Léo Fremery	....	assistant unit manager (as L. Fremery)
François Harispuru	....	production manager (as F. Harispuru)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Aboyantz	....	assistant director (as Tony)
Jean Valère	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jacques Guth	....	assistant production designer (as J. Guth)
Jean Charpentier	....	assistant production designer (uncredited)
Raymond Gabutti	....	assistant production designer (uncredited)
François Sune	....	property master (uncredited)
Nicolas Wilcké	....	assistant production designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Pierre-Louis Calvet	....	sound engineer (as Pierre Calvet)
Jean Rieul	....	sound engineer
Marcel Corvaisier	....	sound assistant (uncredited)
Louis Haller	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alain Douarinou	....	camera operator (segment "Le Masque" and "La Maison Tellier")
Roger Forster	....	still photographer (as R. Forster)
Roger Poutrel	....	still photographer (as Poutrel)
Changlesy	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Jean Lallier	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Roland Paillais	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Walter Wottitz	....	camera operator (segment "Le Modèle") (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ferdinand Junker	....	key costumer (as F. Junker)
Marie Gromtseff	....	costume execution (uncredited)
Elise Servet	....	costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Suzanne Rondeau	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Joe Hajos	....	music adaptor (as Joe Hayos)

Other crew
Paule Converset	....	script supervisor
Georges Cravenne	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Compagnie Commerciale Française Cinématographique (CCFC) (as C.C.F.C.)
• Stera Films

Distributors

• Teledis (1952) (worldwide) (all media) (rights)
• Columbia Films (1952) (France) (theatrical) (presents)
• Arthur Mayer-Edward Kingsley (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cinémas Associés (196?) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia Films (1952) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1952) (UK) (theatrical)
• Compagnia Edizioni Internazionali Artistiche Distribuzione (CEIAD) (1952) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Union Film Wien (1953) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Hollywood Select Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• StudioCanal (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• StudioCanal (1994) (France) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Le plaisir" - France (original title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-11 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-12 | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:PG | West Germany:18 (nf) | USA:Not Rated | Germany:6 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Clécy, Calvados, France

Company:

Compagnie Commerciale Française Cinématographique (CCFC)

Trivia:

Maurice Yvain was originally going to compose an original score, but was replaced by Joe Hajos, who based most of his music on popular music of the late 19th century.

Quotes:

Jean's friend:But, my friend, happiness is not a joyful thing.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Paris Brothel (2003) (TV)

The Pleasure Was All Mine: An Evocative Cinema Memoir

This trilogy of tales adapted from De Maupassant is such a vivid contrast to today's mainstream cinema of frenetic editing, overblown adventure and concurrent explosions; instead, it is an evocation of times gone by, three mood pieces enriched by incredibly complex but telling cinematography. A personal favorite is the middle story, The Teller House, relating how some Ladies of The Night close their beloved city brothel for a night in order to attend a niece's Catholic confirmation in a small town; Ophuls captures the contrast between the women dressed in their lavish best with the simplicity not only of the child but all the village in their working class blacks, as they attend the service in a local church and surprise themselves and the town folk with an emotional catharsis; the episode is incredibly rich in atmospherics, capturing everything from the baroque traceries of the tiny church to the rickety wooden train interiors; the tracking shots of the brothel exterior, creating a sense of voyeuristic benevolence are simply incredible! The remaining two stories offer pleasures of their own in this lovely film with a sadly ironic view of happiness