''Behind the Facade'' (French: ''Derrière la façade'') is a 1939 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Georges Lacombe and Yves Mirande and starring Lucien Baroux,

Jules Berry Jules Berry (; born Marie Louis Jules Paufichet; 9 February 1883 – 23 April 1951) was a French actor. Biography Early life Berry and his two brothers were born to parents who sold hardware and settled in Poitou. The family moved to Paris in 1 ...

and André Lefaur.Aitken p.511 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 ...

Lucien Aguettand. It was shot at the Epinay Studios in

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 ...

Synopsis

When the owner of an

apartment block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. ...

is found murdered, two policeman investigate the lives of the various tenants who live there.

Cast

* Lucien Baroux as Le commissaire Boucheron *

as Alfrédo D'Avila * André Lefaur as Corbeau * Gaby Morlay as Gaby * Elvire Popesco as Madame Rameau *

Michel Simon Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss actor of German origin active primarily in France. Betty Stockfeld as L'anglaise *

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim, ; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of ...

as Eric *

Simone Berriau Simone Berriau (; 21 July 1896 – 26 February 1984) was a French stage and film actress. She appeared in more than ten films from 1933 to 1942, after which she moved to theatre pieces and became the director of the Antoine Theatre in Paris; the ...

as Lydia * Missia as Joséphine Picking * Raymond Segard as Robert Bernier * Marcel Orluc as Gérard Bernier *

Jean Daurand Jean Daurand (1913–1989) was a French actor. He starred in ''La Nuit Merveilleuse'' and ''Derrière la Facade''. Selected filmography * ''Rothchild'' (1933) * ''Le secret d'une nuit'' (1934) * ''Pension Mimosas'' (1935) - Un groom (uncredite ...

as Le télégraphiste *

Elmire Vautier Elmire Vautier (August 28, 1897 – April 29, 1954) was a French film actress of the silent and early sound era. Vautier starred in several serials alongside René Navarre to whom she was married.Rainey p.25 & p.251 She also appeared frequen ...

as Marie, l'habilleuse de Lydia * Lina Darwils as Une locataire * Robert Ozanne as Le brigadier * Claude Sainval as Le gigolo de Gaby * Raymone as La bonne de Madame Mathieu * Jean Joffre as Monsieur Martin, l'aveugle * Lise Courbet as Paulette * Andrex as André Laurent, l'employé de banque *

Julien Carette Julien Henri Carette (23 December 1897 – 20 July 1966) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1964. Selected filmography * '' American Love'' (1931) - Lepape * ''Seul'' (1932) - Michel * '' Fun in the Ba ...

as Le soldat *

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 Le président Bernier * Jacques Dumesnil as Albert Durant, le jouer de poker *

Paul Faivre Paul Faivre (3 March 1886 – 5 March 1973) was a French actor. Selected filmography * '' The House Opposite'' (1937) * '' The Lady from Vittel'' (1937) * ''Cinderella'' (1937) * '' Behind the Facade'' (1939) * '' Vidocq'' (1939) * ''Moulin ...

as Le concierge * Marcel Simon as Jules, l'amant de Gaby * Gaby Sylvia as Madeleine Martin * Gabrielle Dorziat as Madame Bernier *

Jacques Baumer Jacques Baumer (born Jacques Henri Nusbaumer; 12 April 1885 – 20 June 1951), was a French theatre director and comedian. Filmography * 1932: '' That Scoundrel Morin'' by Georges Lacombe * 1933: ''Étienne'' by Jean Tarride * 1936: ' by Max ...

as Lambert *

Marguerite Moreno Marguerite Moreno (born Lucie Marie Marguerite Monceau; 15 September 1871, Paris - 14 July 1948, Touzac, Lot) was a French stage and film actress. On 12 September 1900, in England, she married the writer Marcel Schwob, whom she had met in 18 ...

as La sous-directrice *

Georges Bever Georges Bever (1884–1973) was a French film and television actor.Goble p.38 Selected filmography * '' The Crystal Submarine '' (1927) * '' Chérie'' (1930) * ''The Man in Evening Clothes'' (1931) * '' I'll Be Alone After Midnight'' (1931) * '' ...

as Un chauffeur de taxi * Rivers Cadet as Un agent * Roger Doucet * Hélène Flouest * Georges Malkine as Un chauffeur de taxi * Franck Maurice as Un agent * Yves Mirande as Le clochard sur le banc * Robert Moor as Un agent * Henri Nassiet as Petit rôle *

Jean Wiener Jean Wiener (or Wiéner) (19 March 1896, 14th arrondissement of Paris – 8 June 1982, Paris) was a French pianist and composer. Life Wiener was trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied alongside Darius Milhaud, and worked wit ...

References

Bibliography

* Aitken, Ian. ''The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film''. Routledge, 2013.

External links

* 1939 films French drama films 1939 drama films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Georges Lacombe Films directed by Yves Mirande Films shot at Epinay Studios French black-and-white films 1930s French films {{1930s-France-film-stub