''Manon'' () is a 1949 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and starring

Serge Reggiani Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-French actor and singer. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. After studying acting at the Conservatoire des arts cinématogr ...

Michel Auclair Michel Auclair (born Vladimir Vujović, sr-cyr, Владимир Вујовић; 14 September 1922 – 7 January 1988) was an actor of Serbian and French ancestry, known best for his roles in French cinema. Auclair was born to a Serbian father ...

and

Cécile Aubry Cécile Aubry (3 August 1928 – 19 July 2010) was a French film actress, author, television screenwriter and director. Life and career Born Anne-José Madeleine Henriette Bénard, Aubry began her career as a dancer. At age 20, she was signe ...

. It is a loose adaptation of the 1731 novel '' Manon Lescaut'' by Abbé Prévost.Lloyd, p. 64 The film won the Golden Lion at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

, and was a popular success with over three million tickets sold in France. It was shot at the Victorine Studios 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 ...

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

Max Douy Max Douy (June 20, 1913 – July 2, 2007) was a French art director.Hayward p.245 Selected filmography * '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) * '' There's No Tomorrow'' (1939) * ''The Trump Card'' (1942) * ''Goodbye Leonard'' (1943) * '' Paris Frill ...

Synopsis

Clouzot updates the setting to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, making the story about a

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

fighter who rescues a woman from villagers convinced she is a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

collaborator.

Cast

as Leon Lescaut *

as Robert Dégrieux *

as Manon Lescaut *

Andrex Andrex is a British brand of toilet roll. It is owned by the American company Kimberly-Clark. The "Andrex Puppy", a Labrador Retriever puppy that appears on the company's television advertisements, is synonymous with the brand. The brand Andre ...

as Le trafiquant *

Raymond Souplex Raymond Souplex (1 June 1901 – 22 November 1972) was a French actor and singer. He was in a long-term relationship with Jane Sourza, although they never married. Filmography 1901 births 1972 deaths Male actors from Paris Musicians f ...

as M. Paul * André Valmy as Lieutenant Besnard / Bandit Chief *

Henri Vilbert Henri Vilbert (6 April 1904 – 20 April 1997) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films from 1921 to 1982. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilbert, Henri 1904 births 1997 deaths 20th- ...

as Le commandant du navire / Ship's Captain *

Héléna Manson Elena Eugenia Manson (18 August 1898 – 15 September 1994) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1925 and 1989. Selected filmography * ''La vocation d'André Carel'' (1925) – L'amoureuse de Cardan * '' T ...

as La commère *

Dora Doll Dora Doll (born Dorothea Hermina Feinberg; 19 May 1922 – 15 November 2015) was a French actress. Career One of her first screen appearances was as Juliette in Henri-Georges Clouzot's ''Manon'' (1949). She appeared as Lola in Jacques Becker's ...

as Juliette *

Simone Valère Simone Valère (2 August 1923 – 11 November 2010) was a French actress. She appeared in more than forty films from 1941 to 1993. Filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Valere, Simone 1923 births 2010 deaths Actresses from Pa ...

as Isé, la soubrette *

Gabrielle Fontan Gabrielle Fontan (16 April 1873 – 8 September 1959) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 120 films between 1927 and 1959. Selected filmography * '' Misdeal'' (1928) * '' The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard'' (1929) * '' The La ...

as La vendeuse à la toilette *

Gabrielle Dorziat Gabrielle Dorziat (1880–1979) was a French stage and film actress. Dorziat was a fashion trend setter in Paris and helped popularize the designs of Coco Chanel. The Théâtre Gabrielle-Dorziat in Épernay, France is named for her. Biography ...

as Mme Agnès *

Rosy Varte Rosy Varte (22 November 1923 – 14 January 2012) was a French actress of Armenian descent. She made more than 100 film and television appearances during her career. She starred in the 1972 film ''The Bar at the Crossing'', which was enter ...

as Petit rôle *

Michel Bouquet Michel Bouquet (6 November 1925 – 13 April 2022) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1947 to 2020. He won the Best Actor European Film Award for ''Toto the Hero'' in 1991 and two Best Actor Césars for ...

as Le second * Robert Dalban as Le maître d'hôtel * Jean Hébey as L'hôtelière *

Jean Témerson Jean Témerson (1898–1956) was a French actor. Selected filmography * '' The Lover of Madame Vidal'' (1936) - Guillaume - le domestique * '' With a Smile'' (1936) - Cam (uncredited) * '' Pépé le Moko'' (1937) - Gravère * ''Blanchette'' (1 ...

as Le portier du 'Magic' *

Jacques Dynam Jacques Dynam (30 December 1923 – 12 November 2004) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1942 and 2004, among which the ''Fantomas'' saga. Selected filmography * ''La symphonie fantastique'' (1942) - (uncre ...

as Un marin * Max Elloy as Le garçon de restaurant * Daniel Ivernel as American Officer * François Joux as L'architecte *

Geneviève Morel Geneviève Morel (1916–1989) was a French stage and film actress.Bessy & Chirat p.233 Selected filmography * '' Beating Heart'' (1940) * '' Mademoiselle Swing'' (1942) * ''Goodbye Leonard'' (1943) * '' Secrets of a Ballerina'' (1943) * ''Cec ...

as La mère dans le tarin

References

Bibliography

* Lloyd, Christopher. ''Henri-Georges Clouzot''. Manchester University Press, 2007.

External links

* * 1949 films 1949 romantic drama films Films about the French Resistance Films based on French novels Films based on romance novels Films based on works by Antoine François Prévost Films directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot Golden Lion winners Films with screenplays by Henri-Georges Clouzot Films shot at Victorine Studios French black-and-white films French romantic drama films 1940s French-language films 1940s French films {{romantic-drama-film-stub