Francis the First (1937)

Honorin (Fernandel) is the simple and naive stage manager of a traveling theatre troupe, whose one ambition is to once play the role of the cavalier in the opera "Francis I, or the Loves of... See full summary »

Director:

Christian-Jaque (as Christian Jaque)

Writer:

Paul Fékété (story, screenplay and dialogue)

Stars:

Fernandel, Mona Goya, Alexandre Rignault

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fernandel	...	Honorin
Mona Goya	...	Elsa / Madeleine Ferron
Alexandre Rignault	...	Henri VIII
Henri Bosc	...	Luigi Cascaroni / Jean Ferron
Aimé Simon-Girard	...	François 1er (as Aimé Simon Girard)
Alice Tissot	...	Madame Cascaroni / Dame Alfredine
Charles Lemontier	...	La Palice (as Lemontier)
Alexandre Mihalesco	...	Cagliostro (as Mihalesco)
Sinoël	...	Le Fantôme
René Génin	...	Cascaroni / L'aubergiste (as Génin)
Henri Valbel	...	Le Padre
Paul Delon	...	Duc de Montmorency
Jean Marconi	...	Lautrec (as Marconi)
Nicolas Amato	...	Le Chevalier Bayard (as Amato)
Jacques Vitry	...	Le Héraut

Storyline

Honorin (Fernandel) is the simple and naive stage manager of a traveling theatre troupe, whose one ambition is to once play the role of the cavalier in the opera "Francis I, or the Loves of the Beautiful Ferroniere". A hypnotist puts him to sleep and in his dreams he is transplanted to the days of the Renaissance. There, among other items, he is made a Duke by Henri VIII, fights a duel and survives a series of medieval tortures, while also bestowing some 20th century blessings on the court of Francis I.

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Plot Keywords:

duel | renaissance | torture | dream | feet | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Cinéastes de notre temps: Sacha Guitry (1965)

User Reviews

Smart and funny

I saw this movie when I was about 8 years old, during a sleep-over at my French grandparents. Although the movie never came out on DVD, I did find it in a French video store in Los Angeles twenty years later and enjoyed it as much as when I was a kid! Fernandel plays Honorin, a frustrated stage manager of a traveling theater troupe, whose one ambition is to play the part of the cavalier in the opera "Francois I". A hypnotist puts him to sleep and in his dreams he is transplanted back to the area of the French Renaissance. That's when the fun begins. Having taken a Larousse encyclopedia with him, he becomes the favorite of the French court when he's able to tell them what's going to happen in their future, just by looking it up in the book!!! Being a film maker, I always wanted to make a remake of the movie, until a mediocre Martin Lawrence flic called "Black Knight" was released, in which an employee of a Medieval theme park is transported to Old England, where his modern lifestyle clashes with the Renaissance period ... Believe me, if you can get your hands on the original, watch it, it's a real gem!

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

25 March 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Francis the First

Filming Locations:

Place de l'Opéra, Paris 9, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Productions Calamy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Optiphone)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1