Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)

A bookseller saves a tramp from drowning and shelters him, but the tramp's odd behavior starts to wear everyone down.

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writer:

René Fauchois (play)

Stars:

Michel Simon, Marcelle Hainia, Sévérine Lerczinska

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Michel Simon	...	Priape Boudu
Marcelle Hainia	...	Emma Lestingois
Sévérine Lerczinska	...	Chloë Anne Marie, la bonne
Jean Gehret	...	Vigour
Max Dalban	...	Godin
Jean Dasté	...	L'étudiant
Charles Granval	...	Édouard Lestingois (as Charles Granval Sociétaire de la Comédie Française)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Geneviève Cadix

Storyline

Boudu, a tramp, jumps into the Seine. He is rescued by Mr Lestingois, a gentle and good bookseller, who gives shelter to him. Mrs Lestingois and the maid Anne-Marie (Mr Lestingois' mistress) are far from delighted, for Boudu is lazy, dirty and salacious...

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Plot Keywords:

comedy of manners | satire | fish out of water | rags to riches | eccentric family | 

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Taglines:

A Recently Rediscovered Renoir...Discover It For Yourself!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 February 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boudu Saved from Drowning

Filming Locations:

Berges de la Seine, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Établissements Jacques Haïk, Les Productions Michel Simon, Crédit Cinématographique Français (CCF)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.19 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Inspired an episode of the cartoon TV series _The Flintstones_. From season 2, "This is Your Lifesaver" was about a con man who Fred saves from drowning and then wreaks havoc in the Flintstone household.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Édouard Lestingois: Anne-Marie, you are like the nymphs. You are as graceful as they are and could frolic in mossy glades, drink from the springs, and dance naked under the moon on summer nights. Bacchus would have presided at the nuptials of Priapus Lestingois and his Chloë, Anne-Marie.

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Connections

Remade as Boudu (2005)

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Soundtracks

Danube bleu (An der Schönen, blauen Donau)
Composed by Johann Strauss (uncredited)
Arranged by Raphaël

User Reviews

pretty good but not great

I really enjoy watching old Michel Simon films. When I find one of his films, I always QUICKLY grab it and watch it as soon as possible. That's because even if the film isn't that great, his performance is always very interesting and quite unusual. My favorite film of his is Drôle de drame (1937), but he did several others that are among my favorites.

Well, once again Simon's performance makes this film worth watching. While in this case his acting is NOT subtle or perhaps as high quality as he's done in other films (it's a bit over-the-top), it's fun to just turn off your mind and watch the silliness. This film will not change your life and is a pretty insignificant film but still good to watch nonetheless. I think, for me, the reason I didn't enjoy the film more is that the character of Boudu is a pretty awful person and I just couldn't buy that he was such a sexual dynamo that he was able to make these women forget how crude, selfish and disgusting he was just by turning on the old libido!

So my verdict is that this is a good film that you can watch only if you suspend disbelief. Oh, and I forgot to mention, director Renoir did a great job on the film. For a 1931 French film, the sound and camera work are superb--something you DON'T see in many other films from this country until the later 1930s--he was truly ahead of his time.