''Royal Affairs in Versailles'' (French title: ''Si Versailles m'était conté'') is a 1954 French-Italian historical drama directed by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follo ...

. Described as "a historical film showing Versailles from its beginnings to the present day", it tells some episodes through portrayal of the personalities who lived in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. Its sister films are ''

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

'' (1955) and ''

If Paris Were Told to Us ''If Paris Were Told to Us'' (french: Si Paris nous était conté) is a 1956 French historical film directed and written by Sacha Guitry. The admissions in France were 2,813,682 people.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048616/business Principal cast ...

'' (1956). The film is notable for the presence of a great number of well-known French actors, often appearing in short parts. One unknown actor playing a major character is Gilbert Bokanowski (credited as Gilbert Boka) portraying

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. Bokanowski was actually the film's production manager and was cast because of his strong resemblance to the monarch. Its English translation title is ''If Versailles Were Told to Me''. Despite French production, the film is best known by its English title ''Royal Affairs in Versailles''.

Plot

Historical human stories in connection with the Royal Palace, the Chateau of Versailles.

Cast

* Michel Auclair as Jacques Damiens * Jean-Pierre Aumont as

Cardinal de Rohan Louis René Édouard de Rohan known as Cardinal de Rohan (25 September 1734 – 16 February 1803), ''prince de Rohan-Guéméné'', was a French Bishop of Strasbourg, politician, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and cadet of the Rohan fa ...

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgund ...

François Fénelon François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon (), more commonly known as François Fénelon (6 August 1651 – 7 January 1715), was a French Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. Today, he is remembered mostly as the author of '' The ...

Jeanne Boitel Jeanne Boitel (; 4 January 1904 – 7 August 1987) was a French film actress. She played a role in the Resistance during World War II, using the surname of ''Mozart''. She met Jacques Jaujard during her resistance activities in the war, and marri ...

as Madame de Sevigné * Annie Cordy as Madame Langlois * Gilbert Bokanowski as

* Bourvil as museum guide * Gino Cervi as Cagliostro *

Jean Chevrier Jean Chevrier (25 April 1915 – 13 December 1975) was a French film actor and member of the Comédie-Française. He appeared in 50 films between 1936 and 1972. He was married to actress Marie Bell. At the end of his life, he was known as Je ...

as Turenne *

Aimé Clariond Aimé Clariond (10 May 1894 – 31 December 1959) was a French stage and film actor. Clariond was born in Périgueux, Dordogne, France and died in Paris. Selected filmography * ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (1931) - Ivan Karamazoff * '' Amourous ...

as Rivarol * Claudette Colbert as Madame de Montespan *

Nicole Courcel Nicole Marie Jeanne Andrieu (21 October 1931 – 25 June 2016), better known as Nicole Courcel, was a French actress who achieved popularity through the 1950s and 1960s, though she is mostly unknown outside of France. Born in Saint-Cloud, in ...

as Madame de Chalis * Danièle Delorme as Louison Chabray * Yves Deniaud as Le paysan *

Daniel Gélin Daniel Yves Alfred Gélin (19 May 1921 – 29 November 2002) was a French film and television actor. Early life Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, the son of Yvonne (née Le Méner) and Alfred Ernest Joseph Gélin. When he was ten, ...

as Jean Collinet * Fernand Gravey as

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

as old

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

* Pierre Larquey as Un guide du musée de Versailles *

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

* Georges Marchal as young Louis XIV *

Lana Marconi Lana Marconi (born Ecaterina Ileana Marcovici; 8 September 1917 in Bucharest, Romania – 8 December 1990) was a Romanian- French actress, and the fifth and last wife of the famous French actor-director-playwright Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pier ...

Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child ...

* Mary Marquet as Madame de Maintenon *

Gaby Morlay Gaby Morlay (born Blanche Pauline Fumoleau; 8 June 1893 – 4 July 1964) was a film actress from France.

as Madame de la Motte *

Giselle Pascal ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

as Louise de la Vallière *

Jean-Claude Pascal Jean-Claude Villeminot (24 October 1927 – 5 May 1992), better known as Jean-Claude Pascal (), was a French comedian, actor, singer and writer. Early life He was born in Paris into a family of wealthy textile manufacturers. His mother, ...

as Axel de Fersen *

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pi ...

as Woman of the People *

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 ...

D'Artagnan Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the ...

* Micheline Presle as

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rem ...

* Jean Richard as Du Croisy/Tartuffe * Tino Rossi as Le gondolier *

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 Le commissaire-priseur *

Jean Tissier Jean Tissier (1896–1973) was a French stage, film and television actor.Goble p.440 A prolific actor, he had more than two hundred fifty appearances on screen during his career. He was married to the actress Georgette Tissier. Selected filmograp ...

as Le guide du musée de Versailles *

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 76-year film career, which began in 1912, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

as Monsieur de Vergennes *

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

* Pauline Carton as La Voisin *

Jean Desailly Jean Desailly (24 August 1920 – 11 June 2008) was a French actor. He was a member of the Comédie-Française from 1942 to 1946, and later participated in about 90 movies. Life and career Desailly studied at the École nationale supérieure des ...

as Marivaux *

Gilbert Gil Gilbert Gil (September 9, 1913 – August 25, 1988) was a French film actor. He also directed a single film '' Criminal Brigade'' in 1947.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.47 Partial filmography * ''Mayerling'' (1936) - Un étudiant (uncredited) * ''Les gr ...

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

* Marie Mansart as Madame de Kerlor * Nicole Maurey as Mademoiselle de Fontanges *

Jean Murat Jean Murat (13 July 1888, in Périgueux – 5 January 1968, in Aix-en-Provence) was a French actor. He was married to the French actress Annabella. Selected filmography * ''Sex'' (1920) * '' La Galerie des monstres'' (1924), as Sveti * '' Carme ...

as Louvois *

Jean-Jacques Delbo Jean-Jacques Delbo (10 January 1909 – 20 May 1996) was a French actor. He appeared in more than sixty films from 1936 to 1990. Filmography References External links * 1909 births 1996 deaths French male film actors {{F ...

as Monsieur de la Motte * Louis Seigner as Lavoisier *

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...

as Mademoiselle de la Rosille

References

External links

* * *
''Royal Affairs in Versailles''
at Films de France {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Affairs In Versailles 1954 films 1950s historical comedy-drama films French historical comedy-drama films Italian historical comedy-drama films Films set in the 18th century Films directed by Sacha Guitry Films set in France Cultural depictions of Louis XIV Cultural depictions of Louis XV Cultural depictions of Louis XVI Films about Marie Antoinette Cultural depictions of Madame de Pompadour Films about Alessandro Cagliostro Cultural depictions of Molière Cultural depictions of Benjamin Franklin Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1950s Italian films 1950s French films