''Father Serge'' (French: ''Le père Serge'') is a 1945 French

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

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 Lucien Ganier-Raymond and starring

Jacques Dumesnil Jacques Dumesnil (born Marie Émile Eugène André Joly; 9 November 1903 – 8 May 1998) was a French film actor, film and television actor. Early life Jacques Dumesnil was born as Marie Émile Eugène André Joly on 9 November 1903, in Paris ...

Mila Parély Mila Parély (7 October 1917 – 14 January 2012), born Olga Colette Peszynski, was a French actress of Polish ancestry best known for the roles of Félicie, Belle's eldest sister, in Jean Cocteau's '' La Belle et la Bête'' (1946), and as Ge ...

and

Marcel Herrand Marcel Herrand (; 8 October 1897 – 11 June 1953) was a French stage and film actor best remembered for his roles in swashbuckling or historical films. He appeared in over 25 films between 1932 and 1952, but Herrand's best remembered role i ...

. It is based on the short story ''

Father Sergius "Father Sergius" () is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy between 1890 and 1898 and first published (posthumously) in 1911.Julian Connolly in Charles A. Moser (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Russian Literature'' (Cambridge University Press, 19 ...

'' by

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

.Goble p.462 It was shot at the

Saint-Maurice Studios Saint-Maurice is the name or part of the name of places. It refers to the legendary Saint Maurice. Places Canada * Saint-Maurice (Lower Canada electoral district), a constituency 1792–1838 * Saint Maurice (Province of Canada electoral distri ...

and Studio François 1 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 ...

. 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 ...

Robert-Jules Garnier Robert-Jules Garnier (1883–1958) was a French art director.Bergfelder, Harris & Street p.72 Selected filmography * ''Judex'' (1916) * '' Marquitta'' (1927) * '' The Crew'' (1928) * '' Little Devil May Care'' (1928) * '' Billeting Order'' (1932) ...

Synopsis

Prince Stéphane, a rising figure at the court of Nicholas I is shocked when he discovers the

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

has had an affair with his fiancée. He renounces all world interests and retires to a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, become a wondering

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

who is valued for his faith and his abilities as a

healer Healer may refer to: Conventional medicine *Doctor of Medicine *Health professional Alternative medicine * Faith healer * Folk healer * Healer (alternative medicine), someone who purports to aid recovery from ill health * Spiritual healer F ...

. When he discovers that his former love is serious ill in

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

he heads there at once.

Cast

as Le prince Stéphane *

as La baronne Vera Kourianev *

Ariane Borg Ariane may refer to: *Ariana (name), also Ariane, Arianne Arts * ''Ariane'' (Martinů), an opera by Bohuslav Martinů, first performed 1961 * ''Ariane'' (Massenet), an opera by Jules Massenet, first performed 1906 * ''Ariane'' (film), a 1931 ...

as La comtesse Marie Korotkova *

as Le tsar Nicolas Pavlovitch Romanoff I *

Louis Salou Louis Vincent Goulven Salou (23 April 1902 – 12 October 1948) was a French stage and film actor. Louis was born in Oissel and died in Fontenay-aux-Roses, Paris. Selected filmography * '' White Nights in Saint Petersburg'' (1938) * ''Firs ...

as Le comte Fedor Ivanovitch Kedrov *

Arlette Marchal Arlette Marchal (29 January 1902 – 11 February 1984) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1922 and 1951. She was born and died in Paris. Partial filmography * ''Mon p'tit'' (1922) * '' The Gardens of Murc ...

as La tsarine *

Madeleine Lambert Madeleine Lambert (1892–1977) was a French stage, television and film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditi ...

as La comtesse Varvara Alexandrovna Kedrov *

Armand Bernard Armand Bernard (born Armand Joseph Bernard; 21 March 1893 – 13 June 1968) was a French comic actor and composer known mainly for his prolific work in film. Selected filmography * '' Le traitement du hoquet'' (1918) * '' The Little Cafe ...

as Aphamazy

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* 1945 films 1940s French-language films 1945 drama films 1940s historical drama films French historical drama films Films set in Russia Films set in the 19th century Films shot at Saint-Maurice Studios 1940s French films Films based on works by Leo Tolstoy {{1940s-France-film-stub