''The Singer from Mexico'' (French: ''Le Chanteur de Mexico'') is a French-Spanish musical film directed by Richard Pottier starring

Luis Mariano Luis Mariano Eusebio González García (13 August 1914 – 14 July 1970), also known as Luis Mariano, was a popular tenor of Spanish origin who achieved celebrity in 1946 with "La belle de Cadix" ("The Beautiful Lady of Cadix") an operetta by ...

and

Bourvil André Robert Raimbourg (; 27 July 1917 – 23 September 1970), better known as André Bourvil (), and mononymously as Bourvil, was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy films, most notably in his collaboration with Louis ...

, released in 1957. It was a screen version of Francis Lopez's operetta that premiered at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

on 15 December 1951. It was in a tradition of

operetta film Operetta films (German: Operettenfilm) are a genre of musical films associated with, but not exclusive to, German language cinema. The genre began in the late 1920s, but its roots stretch back into the tradition of nineteenth century Viennese oper ...

s that stretched back to the early

sound era A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befor ...

. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios and on location 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

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

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

Sigfrido Burmann Sigfrido Burmann or Siegfried Burmann (1891–1980) was a German-born Spanish art director.Mira p.249 He was the father of Wolfgang Burmann, who also became an art director. Selected filmography * '' White Mission'' (1946) * '' Ninety Minutes'' ...

and

Serge Piménoff Serge Piménoff (1895–1960) was a Russian-born French art director. He designed the sets for the 1958 film ''Les Misérables''.Hayward p.232 Selected filmography * '' Nights of Princes'' (1930) * '' The Unknown Singer'' (1931) * '' Sailor's Son ...

Soundtrack

"Francis Lopez composed for ''Le Chanteur de Mexico'' one of his best scores in which the

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

s integrate well into the atmosphere of the action; the airs were rapidly on everybody's lips: ''Mexico'', ''Rossignol'', ''Acapulco'', ''Il est un coin de France'', ''Maïtechu'', ''Quant on voit Paris d'en haut'', ''Quant on est deux amis''."Académie Nationale de l'Opérette
Le Chanteur de Mexico
/ref> The operetta was revived in 2006 at the Théâtre du Châtelet with a cast that included Ismaël Jordi,

Rossy de Palma Rosa Elena García Echave (born 16 September 1964), known professionally as Rossy de Palma, is a Spanish actress and model. She is well known for her roles in films by Pedro Almodóvar such as ''Law of Desire'', ''Women on the Verge of a Nervou ...

Jean Benguigui Jean Benguigui (born 8 April 1944 in Oran) is a French actor. He is of Jewish-Algerian descent. In 2006 and 2007 he played the role of impresario Cartoni in a new adaptation of the operetta Le Chanteur de Mexico at the Théâtre du Châtelet T ...

and

Clotilde Courau Princess Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau (born 3 April 1969) is a French actress. She is married to Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. Burke's Royal Families of the World: ''Volume I Europe & Latin America''. Burke's Pee ...

Cast

as Miguel Morano/Vincent Etchebar *

as Bilou *

Annie Cordy Léonie Juliana, Baroness Cooreman (16 June 1928 – 4 September 2020), also known by her stage name Annie Cordy, was a Belgian actress and singer. She appeared in more than 50 films from 1954 and staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coq ...

as Cri-Cri *

Tilda Thamar Tilda Thamar (born Matilde Sofía Margarita Abrecht; 7 December 1921 – 12 April 1989) was an Argentine actor. She was born in Entre Rios Province, Argentina, in 1921. She was married to Spanish portrait painter Alejo Vidal-Quadras and divorced ...

as Eva Marchal * Fernando Rey as Cartoni * Gisèle Grandpré as La Tornada *

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 Cri-Cri's Aunt *

Paul Faivre Paul Faivre (3 March 1886 – 5 March 1973) was a French actor. Selected filmography * '' The House Opposite'' (1937) * ''Behind the Facade'' (1939) * '' Vidocq'' (1939) * '' Annette and the Blonde Woman'' (1942) * '' The Count of Monte Cri ...

as Bidache * Manolo Morán as Martínez * Jacques Angelvin as Le speaker du radio crochet * Robert Dalban as Le portier du théâtre * Fernando Rey as Cartoni - l'impresario

References

External links

* Films based on operettas 1957 films Spanish musical films French musical films Films directed by Richard Pottier 1957 musical films Films set in Paris Films shot at Billancourt Studios Operetta films 1950s French-language films 1950s French films {{musical-film-stub