The Flame of New Orleans (1941)

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

Director:

René Clair (as Rene Clair)

Writer:

Norman Krasna

Stars:

Marlene Dietrich, Bruce Cabot, Roland Young

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlene Dietrich	...	Claire Ledeux
Bruce Cabot	...	Robert LaTour
Roland Young	...	Charles Giraud
Mischa Auer	...	Zolotov
Andy Devine	...	1st Sailor
Frank Jenks	...	2nd Sailor
Eddie Quillan	...	3rd Sailor
Laura Hope Crews	...	Auntie
Franklin Pangborn	...	Bellows
Theresa Harris	...	Clementine
Clarence Muse	...	Samuel
Melville Cooper	...	Brother-in-Law
Anne Revere	...	Sister
Bob Evans	...	William
Emily Fitzroy	...	Cousin

Storyline

French farce comes to the New World in 1840 as Claire Ledoux convinces the middle-aged banker who is her fiance that she is two different women -- a deception made necessary by the arrival of a man acquainted with the swath she cut across Europe. Giraud has been about to foreclose on a $150 loan made to a sea captain who needed the funds to court Claire. Get Claire's "cousin" out of New Orleans before the wedding, Giraud tells the sea captain and the debt will be paid.

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Plot Keywords:

brandy | confidence artist | ship | theater | tightrope walker | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 April 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

La belle ensorceleuse

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

René Clair stated he and screenwriter Norman Krasna devised the film to parody Marlene Dietrich's screen image, and they did so with her knowledge.

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Connections

Featured in Tellement Gay! Homosexualité et pop culture: Inside (2015)

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Soundtracks

Oh, Joyful Day
Music by Charles Previn
Lyrics by Samuel Lerner (as Sam Lerner)
Sung by a chorus at the wedding and at the end.

User Reviews

Because they're cousins, identical cousins and you'll find....

Darling film starring Marlene Dietrich from 1941.

Flame of New Orleans takes place in -- right, New Orleans, in 1840, where Claire Ledoux, engaged to a banker, Giraud (Roland Young). Unfortunately for Claire, at a party, while she is up on stage singing, a man who knew her in Europe shows up. What he has to say is whispered in people's ears. By the time the song is through, so is Claire.

She gets out of it by telling her fiancée that they're talking about her cousin, who looks like her.

A sea captain, Robert LaTour (Bruce Cabot) owes Giraud money, so Giraud tells him that he will forgive the loan if LaTour can get this cousin removed and out to sea before the wedding.

Lots of great people in this, including Mischa Auer, Andy Devine, Laura Hope Crews, Franklin Pangborn, Theresa Harris, and Anne Revere.

Much of the movie takes place with a background derived from Donizetti's Lucia, the love duet in the beginning of the opera - in fact, there's a heavenly choir singing it at the end.

Marlene's clothes are beyond magnificent. Absolutely bedazzling with huge full skirts, sparkles, feathers - amazing. A must see for the costumes alone.

The whole cast is great, and Marlene is stunning as usual as she plays both her slutty cousin and the flirtatious Clare. Wait for the scene where Laura Hope Crews gives her a lecture on what she'll have to "endure" during marriage. Dietrich's face there is classic. And she was a class act all the way.

Well directed by Rene Clair.