''Stolen Holiday'' is a 1937 American romantic

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

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz (; born Manó Kaminer; from 1905 Mihály Kertész; ; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silen ...

and starring

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

and Ian Hunter. It is loosely based on the Stavisky Affair, a French political scandal. A Russian con artist digs his way into the upper reaches of French society, but is finally exposed, with tragic consequences.

Plot

In 1931 Paris, Nicole Picot, a model for a fashionable dress shop, is hired by nearly-penniless Stefan Orloff to help persuade a financier to fund his ambitious plans. By 1934, Stefan has established an investment bank; in gratitude, he provides the capital that Nicole needs to set up her own business and become a successful dress designer (though she insists on paying him back). British diplomat Anthony Wayne romances Nicole and wins her heart. However, when Stefan's crooked schemes start to unravel, he asks Nicole to marry him without divulging his main motive: the attendance of her influential friends at the well-publicized ceremony would bolster public confidence in him and buy him time. She agrees, out of friendship alone, much to the distress of her friend and assistant, Suzanne. It is too late. At their wedding, Stefan's closest confederate, Francis Chalon, is taken away by the police for questioning, and the other guests hastily depart. Knowing that Chalon can incriminate him, Stefan goes into hiding at a remote chateau. However, he makes a mistake, sending a letter to Nicole asking her to join him. She does so, despite Anthony's protests. Nicole gets Stefan to admit the truth, though he insists he does love her. When he sees that the police have followed Nicole and have surrounded the chateau, he excuses himself. To spare her from being dragged down with him, he goes outside. As he expected, he is shot and killed, though it is staged to look like a suicide to avoid causing further embarrassment to the government. Afterward, Anthony persists and finally gets Nicole to agree to marry him.

Cast

as Nicole Picot *

as Stefan Orloff * Ian Hunter as Anthony Wayne *

Alison Skipworth Alison Skipworth (born Alison Mary Elliott Margaret Groom; 25 July 18635 July 1952) was an English stage and screen actress. Early years Skipworth was born in London. She was the daughter of Dr. Richard Ebenezer Groom and Elizabeth Rodgers, an ...

as Suzanne *

Alexander D'Arcy Alexander D'Arcy (; born Alexandre Sarruf, ; 10 August 1908 – 20 April 1996) was an Egyptian-American actor with an international film repertoire. He often portrayed a suave gentleman or smooth rogue, and at one time was pinned as the natural ...

as Leon Anatole * Betty Lawford as Helen Tuttle *

Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford (born Walter Pearce; 20 September 1881 – 7 February 1958) was an English stage, film, and television actor. Early years Kingsford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Career Kingsford began his acting career on the L ...

as Francis Chalon * Charles Halton as LeGrande *

Frank Reicher Frank Reicher (born Franz Reichert; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Early life Reicher was born in M ...

as Charles Ranier * Frank Conroy as Dupont *

Egon Brecher Egon Brecher (18 February 1880 – 12 August 1946) was an Austrian-born American actor and director. He also served as the chief director of Vienna's Stadttheater, before entering the motion picture industry. Early years Brecher was born on 1 ...

as Bergery * Robert Strange as Prefect of Police * Wedgwood Nowell as M. Borel

Preservation

In addition to being held by Warner Bros., the film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at the Library of Congress'', p.175 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

References

Bibliography

* Rode, Alan K. ''Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film''. University Press of Kentucky, 2017.

External links

* * * {{Michael Curtiz , state=collapsed 1937 romantic drama films 1937 films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films Romantic drama films based on actual events 1930s English-language films Films directed by Michael Curtiz Films scored by Heinz Roemheld Films set in Paris Films à clef Warner Bros. films 1930s American films English-language romantic drama films