''Life Together'' (French: ''La Vie à deux'') is a 1958 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Clément Duhour Clément Duhour was born in Saint-Jean d’Anglet, in the Aquitaine region of south-western France on 11 December 1912. He died on 3 January 1983 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He was a French athlete, singer, actor, film director and producer. Biograph ...

. It features an ensemble star cast including

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan t ...

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur, the latter a cousin of Albert Brasseur; his grandfather, Jules B ...

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

Danielle Darrieux Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer. Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...

, Jean Marais,

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; October 29, 1907 – November 13, 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born mo ...

Gérard Philipe Gérard Philipe (born Gérard Albert Philip, 4 December 1922 – 25 November 1959) was a prominent French actor who appeared in 32 films between 1944 and 1959. Active in both theatre and cinema, he was, until his early death, one of the main ...

and

Sophie Desmarets Sophie Desmarets (1922–2012) was a French film actress.Davis p.145 Selected filmography * ''Battement de coeur'' (1940) - (uncredited) * ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) - Henriette Lefranc * ''L'homme qui joue avec le feu'' (1942) - Gabrielle * ...

.Harding p.203 The screenplay was written by Sacha Guitry, his final work before his death the same year. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and on location in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

including at the

Hotel Negresco The Hotel Negresco is a hotel and site of the restaurant ''Le Chantecler'', located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France. It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel constructed in 191 ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director Raymond Gabutti.

Synopsis

A celebrated writer has made a fortune by writing a successful book about four loving couples. Many years later he considers leaving them money in his will and sends out researchers to find if they are still as happy at they once were.

Cast

as Pierre Carreau *

as Monique Lebeaut *

as Marguerite Caboufigue, wife of Marcel *

as Marcel Caboufigue, the husband of Marguerite *

as Françoise Sellier, ex-Carreau *

Robert Lamoureux Robert Lamoureux (4 January 1920 – 29 October 2011) was a French actor, screenwriter and film director. He appeared in more than 30 films between 1951 and 1994. He starred in the film ''The Adventures of Arsène Lupin'', which was entered ...

as Thierry Raval, the lover of Monica *

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

as Maître Stéphane, the notary * Jean Marais as Teddy Brooks, the illusionist *

as Odette de Starenberg, the minister's girlfriend *

as Désiré, Odette's new

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...

* Jean Richard as André Le Lorrain *

Pauline Carton Pauline Carton (4 July 1884 – 17 June 1974) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 190 films between 1907 and 1974. Filmography * ''La fille du Boche'' (1915) * ''Blanchette'' (1921) * ''La femme de nulle part'' (1922) * '' ...

as Mrs Vattier, wife of directeur * Mathilde Casadesus as Adèle, cuisine of Odette *

Marie Daëms Marie Daëms (1928–2016) was a French stage, film and television actress. Hayward & Vincendeau p.127 After studying at the Lycée Jules-Ferry in Paris, Daëms made her stage debut in 1947 and her first screen appearance in 1949. She was marrie ...

as Madeleine * Ivan Desny as Michel Sellier * Jacques Dumesnil as Professor Henri Girane * Christian Duvaleix as Jean Pommier, généalogiste *

Jacques Jouanneau Jacques Jouanneau (3 October 1926 – 19 July 2011) was a French actor. He was born in Angers, France. Biography Filmography *1953: ''Capitaine Pantoufle'' - Le barman du Goéland (uncredited) *1954: ''Les Intrigantes'' - Le Reporter (un ...

as Sentis, généalogiste *

Madeleine Lebeau Marie Madeleine Berthe Lebeau (10 June 1923 – 1 May 2016) was a French film actress who also appeared in American films, most notably ''Casablanca''. Early life Lebeau married actor Marcel Dalio in 1939; it was his second marriage. They had ...

as Peggy * Robert Manuel as Georges * Jane Marken as Madame Fourneau *

Maria Mauban Maria Mauban (10 May 1924 – 26 August 2014) was a French actress. She appeared in around fifty films and television series during her career. in 1950 she starred in the British Egyptian-set crime film ''Cairo Road''. The same year she appeared ...

as La soeur-infirmière * Pierre Mondy as Monsieur Lebeaut * Jacques Morel as Claude * Jean Tissier as Arthur Vattier *

Palmyre Levasseur Palmyre Levasseur (24 December 1888 – 4 August 1963) was a French stage and film actress.Aping p.234 Selected filmography * '' Culprit'' (1937) * '' Tricoche and Cacolet'' (1938) * '' The Mondesir Heir'' (1940) * '' The Emigrant'' (1940) * '' Th ...

as Marie *

Raoul Marco Raoul Marco (22 November 1892 – 3 April 1971) was a French film actor.Phillips p.215 Partial filmography * ''Bric à Brac et compagnie'' (1931) - Monsieur Verly * ''Le gendre de Monsieur Poirier'' (1933) - Le premier créancier * '' The Red Ro ...

as Doctor Leclerc

References

Bibliography

* Harding, James. ''Sacha Guitry: the Last Boulevardier''. Methuen, 1968.

External links

*
La Vie à deux (1958)
at the ''Films de France'' 1958 films French comedy films 1950s French-language films French black-and-white films Films based on works by Sacha Guitry Films set in Nice Films shot in Nice Films shot at Billancourt Studios 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub