French Cancan (1954)

This comedy drama from Jean Renoir chronicles the revival of Paris' most notorious dance as it tells the story of a theater producer who turns a humble washerwoman into a star at the Moulin Rouge.

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writers:

Jean Renoir (adaptation), André-Paul Antoine (idea)

Stars:

Jean Gabin, Françoise Arnoul, María Félix

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Gabin	...	Henri Danglard
Françoise Arnoul	...	Nini
María Félix	...	Lola de Castro de la Fuente de Espramadura 'La Belle Abbesse'
Anna Amendola	...	Esther Georges
Jean-Roger Caussimon	...	Baron Walter
Dora Doll	...	La Génisse
Giani Esposito	...	Prince Alexandre
Gaston Gabaroche	...	Oscar, le pianiste
Jacques Jouanneau	...	Bidon
Jean Parédès	...	Coudrier
Franco Pastorino	...	Paulo, le boulanger
Michèle Philippe	...	Eleonore
Michel Piccoli	...	Le Capitaine Valorgueil
Albert Rémy	...	Barjolin
France Roche	...	Beatrix

Storyline

Henri Danglard, proprietor of the fashionable (but bankrupt) cafe 'Le Paravent Chinois' featuring his mistress, belly dancer Lola, goes slumming in Montmarte (circa 1890) where the then-old-fashioned cancan is still danced. There, he conceives the idea of reviving the cancan as the feature of a new, more popular establishment...and meets Nini, a laundress and natural dancer, whom he hopes to star in his new show. But a tangled maze of jealousies intervenes...

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Plot Keywords:

moulin rouge | 1890s | fin de siècle | 19th century | 1880s | 

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Taglines:

Eclair Lab digital restoration 2010

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 April 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Only the French Can

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franco London Films, Jolly Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 93 min (1956)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa #17930 delivered on 17 December 1954.

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Soundtracks

"Can Can"
(uncredited)
from "La vie parisienne"
Music by Jacques Offenbach
Danced at the school by Lydia Johnson
Danced in the finale by Françoise Arnoul and chorus

User Reviews

Refreshing French Twist

There are frames in this film that could be Renoir paintings with vivid colors against muted backgrounds. The humorous combination of sexual honesty and innocence is refreshing in this fifties film and makes palatable the old story line of the ingenue that becomes a star. The can-can number at the end seems realistic and exciting but not over the top as in an American dance sequence.