23 August 2013

Andrée Standard

Andrée Standard (or Standart) appeared in silent French films of the late 1920s as well as in the first French sound production.

Andrée Standard
French postcard by EC, no. 52. Collection: Didier Hanson.

The Queen
This card of beautiful Andrée Standard is one of the 'rares' of Didier Hanson's collection. It's the only card of her on the net and the actress seems to be completely forgotten. We could not find more information about her than her filmography. But some of her films are very interesting. She appeared both in the greatest epic of the French silent cinema and in the first French sound film.

Andrée Standart started her film career probably in Le prince charmant/Prince Charming (Victor Tourjansky, 1925) with Claude France, Nathalie Kovanko and Jaque Catelain as the Prince. That year she had a bigger role in the comedy 600000 francs par mois/600,000 francs per month (Nicolas Koline, Robert Péguy, 1925) opposite Nicolas Koline and Charles Vanel.

Standart played a queen in the comedy Titi premier, roi des gosses/Titi the first, king of the kids (René Leprince, 1926). In the historical epic Napoléon (Abel Gance, 1927), she played the minor part of Thérèse Tallien. Tallien admires beautiful Joséphine de Beauharnais (Gina Manès) at the Victim's Ball at Les Carmes, formerly the prison where Joséphine was held. She was credited now as Andrée Standard, and continued to be so in some of her following films.

Jaque Catelain
Jaque Catelain. Yugoslavian postcard by Jos. Caklovic, Zagreb, no. 75. Photo: Moslinger Film, Zagreb.

The Shark
Andrée Standard had a bigger role again in Le duel/The Duel (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1928), starring Mady Christians and Gabriel Gabrio. In Spain she appeared in La condesa María/Countess Mary (Benito Perojo, 1928) with Sandra Milowanoff. It was a coproduction with the French Albatross Studio. She also appeared in the war film Andranik (Acho Chakatouny, 1929).

Her next production was the sound film Le requin/The Shark (Henri Chomette, 1930). A ruined ship-owner (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) deliberately sinks his ship so that he can claim the insurance money. He is acquitted by the court but his wife (Gina Manès), who only just survived the disaster, takes her revenge by killing him. Le Requin was the first full length French sound film. It included several songs and dialog in the end sequences as well as a synchronized soundtrack.

Andrée Standart’s second sound film was Le train des suicides/The Train of Suicides (Edmond Gréville, 1931). Locked in a train, several willing suicides are impatiently awaiting the death that has been promised them by an unscrupulous fraudster. Just when they have all been driven almost insane with anxiety, the door is opened and a detective unmasks the criminal. It was Andrée Standart's last screen appearance.

Sandra Milowanoff
Sandra Milowanoff. French postcard by Editions Cinémagazine, no. 403.

Sources: Films de France, Wikipedia and IMDb.

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