''The Man from Niger'' or ''Forbidden Love'' (French: ''L'homme du Niger'') is a 1940 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

Jacques de Baroncelli Jacques de Baroncelli (25 June 1881 – 12 January 1951) was a French film director best known for his silent films from 1915 to the late 1930s. He came from a Florentine family who had settled in Provence in the 15th century, occupying a buildi ...

and starring

Victor Francen Victor Francen (born Victor Franssens; 5 August 1888 – 18 November 1977) was a Belgian-born actor with a long career in French cinema and in Hollywood. Biography Francen was born in 1888 in Tienen, Belgium, the son of a chief of police. A ...

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 ...

and Annie Ducaux. It is set in the

French colonial empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas Colony, colonies, protectorates, and League of Nations mandate, mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "Firs ...

. 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 ...

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 ...

and on location in

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

, then known as

French Sudan French Sudan (; ') was a French colonial territory in the Federation of French West Africa from around 1880 until 1959, when it joined the Mali Federation, and then in 1960, when it became the independent state of Mali. The colony was formall ...

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

Guy de Gastyne Guy de Gastyne (; 10 May 1888 – 3 February 1972) was a French art director. In his youth, he was a footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Racing Club de France and for the French national team in the 1911 UIAFA European Football Tournament a ...

and

Robert Gys Robert Gys (1901–1977) was a French art director.O'Shaughnessy p.238 Selected filmography * '' Imperial Violets'' (1924) * '' The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge'' (1925) * ''Miss Europe'' (1930) * ''Dance Hall'' (1931) * '' The Dream'' (1931) * '' ...

. the story was adapted from work by Jean Paillard.

Synopsis

The plot is centered around a colonial officer (Victor Francen), who is stationed in French West Africa and needs to build a dam in order to enrich the local soil. He catches

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

and has to say goodbye to his love interest.

Main cast

as the commandant Bréval * Annie Ducaux as Danièle Mourrier *

Harry Baur Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor, famous for his titular role in ''Beethoven's Great Love'' and as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (1934 film), the 1934 version of ''Les Misérables''. Life Initially a stage actor ...

as the doctor Bourdet *

as the lieutenant Jacques Parent *

Blanche Denège Blanche Denège (1876–1957; née Jeanne Céleste Antoinette Guy), was a French stage and film actress. Denège was born in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Denège started her career in stage acting; and eventually worked in silent films, follow ...

as Sœur Théoneste *

Georges Mauloy Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 1977 ...

as François Mourrier

References

External links

* 1940 films French drama films 1940 drama films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Jacques de Baroncelli Films set in Africa French black-and-white films 1940s French films Films scored by Henri Tomasi {{1940s-France-film-stub

Synopsis

Main cast

References

Further reading

External links