The Lions Are Loose (1961)

Bored with her life, Albertine (Claudia Cardinale) drops her husband and takes the first train to Paris, to start fresh.

Director:

Henri Verneuil

Writers:

France Roche (adaptation), Michel Audiard (dialogue)

Stars:

Jean-Claude Brialy, Claudia Cardinale, Danielle Darrieux

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	Didier Marèze
Claudia Cardinale	...	Albertine Ferran
Danielle Darrieux	...	Marie-Laure Robert-Guichard
Michèle Morgan	...	Cécile
Lino Ventura	...	Le docteur André Challenberg
Denise Provence	...	Hélène Challenberg
Louis Arbessier	...	Frédéric Moine
Daniel Ceccaldi	...	Georges Guichard
Marcel Charvey	...	Un ami de Didier
Marc Lambert
Martine Messager	...	Florence Guichard
Bernard Musson	...	Gabriel, le valet de chambre
Francis Nani	...	Arnaud Guichard
François Nocher	...	Gilles
Jean Ozenne	...	Albert Robert-Guichard

Storyline

Bored with her life, Albertine (Claudia Cardinale) drops her husband and takes the first train to Paris, to start fresh.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 September 1961 (France)

Also Known As:

The Lions Are Loose

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franco London Films, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It's often stated that Claudia Cardinale's real voice is first heard in Fellini's 8 1/2. However, that is for Italian films which are dubbed after filming since CC didn't speak much Italian and Italian directors thought her voice wouldn't appeal. Actually, Upstairs and Downstairs was the first film to use her voice (in English) in a minor role. Les Lions sont lâchés is her first starring French role and is the first film that uses her real, distinctive voice. In fact, as the main star, she narrates a good portion of the film in French, her first language.

User Reviews

Tamed lions

With a writer such as Audiard and five talented stars ,you should not be wrong.However ,today ,Verneuil's movie sounds as unfunny Théatre De Boulevard .

A young girl from the Province,who just broke with her husband,comes to Paris to find her soul mate ;we follow her as she meets a trendy writer ,who wins the Femina literary prize by writing his new novel based on her character,then a grumpy surgeon who wants to take care of her health.All takes place in very chic places ,luxury flats,homes in the country ,and the whole shebang.

This is an exceptionally poor screenplay based on a novel by Nicole(?),a subject Audiard does not seem to find inspiring:in this posh milieu ,he simply cannot write these lines which generally hit home .Danielle Darrieux is a wonderful actress and it's the first time I've found her really bad,overplaying all over the place .Lino Ventura is miscast as the doctor :not surprising,he is self- conscious .Michèle Morgan and Jean-Claude Brialy ,as the wealthy confidant and the smug impotent novelist seem to be bored to death . As for Claudia Cardinale,I confirm that it's her voice we hear in the movie,but her part is conventional (see the bourgeois happy end,told by Morgan's voice over).

And Darrieux 's son is Marxist ,to boot!As she says ": "it's the fall of the house of Usher"!