''Extenuating Circumstances'' (French: ''Circonstances atténuantes'') is a 1939 French

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Jean Boyer and starring

Michel Simon Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss actor of German origin active primarily in France. Suzanne Dantès Suzanne Dantès (1888–1958) was a French stage and film actress.Abecassis p.96 Selected filmography * '' The Courier of Lyon'' (1923) * ''Black and White'' (1931) * '' A Happy Man'' (1932) * '' Arlette and Her Fathers'' (1934) * ''Extenuating ...

and

Arletty Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat (15 May 1898 – 23 July 1992), known professionally as Arletty, was a French actress, singer, and fashion model. As an actress she is particularly known for classics directed by Marcel Carné, including '' Hotel du ...

.The A to Z of French Cinema p.294 It was shot at the

Joinville Studios The Joinville Studios were a film studio in Paris which operated between 1910 and 1987. They were one of the leading French studios, with major companies such as Pathé and Gaumont Film Company, Gaumont making films there. A second studio was a ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Jacques Colombier Jacques Colombier is a French politician and a member of National Front (France), National Front. As the FN's top candidate in Aquitaine in the 2004 French regional elections, 2004 regional elections he won 11.45% of the votes in the first round ...

Synopsis

A retired

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

known for his harsh views on law and order, leaves for a seaside

holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

with his wife. However just outside Paris their car breaks down and they are forced to spend the night in a hotel which is a notorious haunt for criminals.

Cast

as Mme Nathalie Le Sentencier * Dorville as Jules Le Bouic *

as Marie Qu'a-d'ça * François Simon as La poupée *

Andrex Andrex is a British brand of toilet roll. It is owned by the United States, American company Kimberly-Clark. The "Andrex Puppy", a Labrador Retriever puppy that appears on the company's television advertisements, is synonymous with the brand. T ...

as Môme de Dieu *

Robert Arnoux Robert Raymond Arnoux (23 October 1899, in Lille – 13 March 1964, in Paris) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''Hantise'' (1922) * ''Napoléon'' (1927) - Un conventionnel (uncredited) * ''Rive gauche'' (1931) - Alfred * ''Le congrès ...

as Gabriel, the chauffeur * Jeanine Roger as Gabriel's Girlfriend *

Robert Ozanne Robert Ozanne (February 13, 1898 – September 14, 1941) was a French film actor.Youngkin p.466 Selected filmography * ''The Three Musketeers'' (1932) * '' The Oil Sharks'' (1933) * '' Miquette'' (1934) * '' The House on the Dune'' (1934) * ''The ...

as Cinq de Canne *

Georges Lannes Georges Lannes (27 October 1895 – 8 July 1983) was a French film actor who appeared in more than a hundred films during his career including '' André Cornélis'' (1927).Goble p.50 Selected filmography * '' The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) * '' ...

as Coup de Châsse *

Liliane Lesaffre Liliane is a given name for women, most often used where French is spoken, a variant of Lillian and Lily. People with this name *Liliane Ackermann (1938–2007), French writer of a Jewish family *Liliane Bettencourt (1922–2017), the second ri ...

as Lontine Le Bouic *

Mila Parély Mila Parély (7 October 1917 – 14 January 2012), born Olga Colette Peszynski, was a French actress of Polish ancestry best known for the roles of Félicie, Belle's eldest sister, in Jean Cocteau's '' La Belle et la Bête'' (1946), and as Ge ...

as La Panthère * Émile Saint-Ober as Coco

References

Bibliography

* Dayna Oscherwitz & MaryEllen Higgins. ''The A to Z of French Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1939 films French comedy films 1939 comedy films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Jean Boyer Films shot at Joinville Studios Films set in Paris 1930s French films Films scored by Georges Van Parys French-language comedy films {{1930s-France-film-stub