''The Old Devil'' (French: ''Cette vieille canaille'') is a 1933 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. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...

and starring

Harry Baur Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor. Initially a stage actor, Baur appeared in about 80 films between 1909 and 1942. He gave an acclaimed performance as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in the biopic ''Beethoven's Gr ...

Pierre Blanchar Pierre Blanchar (30 June 1892 – 21 November 1963) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1922 and 1961. Blanchar was married to actress Marthe Vinot, with whom he had a daughter, actress Dominique Blanchar. He playe ...

and

Alice Field Alice Field (1903–1969) was a French Algerian stage and film actress.Goble p.322 Partial filmography * ''Villa Destin'' (1921) * ''Visages voilés... âmes closes'' (1921) - La seconde épouse de Hadji * '' Atlantis'' (1930) - Madame Lambert ...

. Willoughby p.323 It was based on a 1931 play of the same title by

Fernand Nozière Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (1885 ...

. It was shot at the

Joinville Studios The Joinville Studios were a film studio in Paris which operated between 1910 and 1987. They were one of the leading French studios, with major companies such as Pathé and Gaumont making films there. A second studio was added to the original ...

of Pathé-Natan in

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

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

André Andrejew André Andrejew (21 January 1887 – 13 March 1967) was one of the most important art directors of the international cinema of the twentieth century. He had a distinctive, innovative style. His décors were both expressive and realistic. French writ ...

Synopsis

The surgeon Guillaume Vautier falls in love with the much younger

fairground Fairground most typically refers to a permanent space that hosts fairs. Fairground, Fairgrounds, Fair Ground or Fair Grounds may also refer to: Places Canada * Fairground, Ontario, a community United States * Fairground, St. Louis, a neighb ...

worker Hélène after he treats her. He tolerates her flirtations with other, younger men, in order to keep her close to him. However, when an old boyfriend Jean Trapeau turns up in her life things become more complicated.

Cast

as Guillaume Vautier *

as Jean Trapeau *

as Hélène *

Paul Azaïs Paul François Robert Azaïs (6 May 1902 – 17 November 1974) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1929 and 1966. Selected filmography * '' The Three Masks'' (1929) - Le fils Vescotelli * ''Le défenseur'' ( ...

as Jacques *

Christiane Dor Christiane Dor (1892-1939) was a French stage actress, film actress and singer. Goble p.113 She appeared in numerous operettas and musical comedies on the Paris stage during the 1920s and 1930s. In cinema she played a number of supporting role ...

as Suzanne *

Madeleine Geoffroy Madeleine may refer to: Common meanings *Madeleine (name), also Madeline, a feminine given name *Madeleine (cake), a traditional sweet cake from France *Mary Magdalene, also called the Madeleine Arts and entertainment *Madeleine (1919 film), ...

as Germaine *

Pierre Stéphen Pierre Stéphen (1890–1980) was a French film actor.Goble p.346 Selected filmography * ''Irène'' (1920) * ''La dette'' (1920) * ''Gigolette'' (1921) * ''La brèche d'enfer'' (1923) - Le Vicomte de La Cardière * ''Le double piège'' (1923) * ...

as Le professeur d'histoire *

Madeleine Guitty Madeleine Guitty (5 June 1870 – 12 April 1936) was a French stage and film actress.Crisp p.93 Selected filmography * ''The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) * ''Madame Sans-Gêne'' (1925) * ''Montmartre'' (1925) * '' 600,000 Francs a Month'' (1926) ...

as La mère d'Hélène *

Ginette Leclerc Ginette Leclerc (born Geneviève Lucie Menut; February 9, 1912 – January 2, 1992) was a French film actress. She appeared in nearly 90 films between 1932 and 1978. Her last TV appearance was in 1981. She was born in Ile-de-France, France ...

as une fille détenue au commissariat

References

Bibliography

*Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. ''Histoire du cinéma français: 1929-1934''. Pygmalion, 1988. * Crisp, Colin. ''French Cinema—A Critical Filmography: Volume 1, 1929–1939''. Indiana University Press, 2015. * Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Willoughby, Bob. ''The Star Makers: On Set with Hollywood's Greatest Directors''. Merrell, 2003.

External links

* 1933 films French drama films 1933 drama films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Anatole Litvak French black-and-white films 1930s French films French films based on plays Pathé films Films shot at Joinville Studios Films scored by Georges Van Parys {{1930s-France-film-stub