05 December 2020

French mini posters with the rooster

During the first years of the Second World War, the Pathé-Cinéma, Pathé theatre chain in France published a series of sepia postcards in the form of mini-posters for collectors. The series with the Pathé logo of the rooster promoted French films produced by several different film studios in 1941, the second year of the French occupation by the Nazis.

Janine Darcey and Pierre Larquey in Sixième Étage (1941)
French mini-poster (collectors card) by Pathé-Cinéma. Photo: CICC. Janine Darcey and Pierre Larquey in Sixième Étage/Sixth floor (Maurice Cloche, 1941).

Sixième Étage (1941)


Pierre Brasseur and Janine Darcey play the young lovers on the sixth floor of a Parisian house in Sixième Étage/Sixth floor (Maurice Cloche, 1941). It was the first adaptation of the best-known play by Swiss playwright Alfred Gehri. The play had 20,000 performances in 40 countries, was filmed twice, and was produced on radio and television in 26 countries.

Pierre Brasseur and Carette in Sixième Étage (1941)
French mini-poster (collectors card) by Pathé-Cinéma. Photo: CICC. Pierre Brasseur and Carette in Sixième Étage/Sixth floor (Maurice Cloche, 1941).

Raimu and Carette in Parade en 7 nuits (1941)
French mini-poster (collectors card) by Pathé-Cinéma. Photo: Pathé. Raimu and Andrex in Parade en 7 nuits/Parade in 7 nights (Marc Allégret, 1941).

Parade en 7 nuits (1941)


In Marc Allégret's Parade en 7 nuits/Parade in 7 nights, Pipo, a little dog, has just been captured and taken to the pound. He starts telling the story of his life to his companions in misfortune. His first master was Freddy (Louis Jourdan), who unfortunately for him, had fallen for a cruel girl (Micheline Presle). After his death, Pipo belonged to a suspicious husband (Victor Boucher), who got rid of him because he had, in his own way, given away his wife (Elvire Popesco)'s lover. He then passed into the hands of two industrialist brothers and was witness to a murder. Finally, and until recently, he had been the pet of the kind-hearted priest (Raimu) of a village in the Provence... The film was started in April 1940 but the shooting was interrupted because of the war raging in Europe. The film was nonetheless completed in March 1941 and released 6 months later. D.B. DuMonteil at IMDb: "uneven but with good moments indeed."

Elvire Popesco and Victor Boucher in Parade en 7 nuits (1941)
French mini-poster (collectors card) by Pathé-Cinéma. Photo: Pathé. Elvire Popesco and Victor Boucher in Parade en 7 nuits/Parade in 7 nights (Marc Allégret, 1941).

Raimu in Le Duel (1941)
French mini-poster (collectors card) by Pathé-Cinéma. Photo: Production C.I.C.C. (Compagnie industrielle et commerciale cinématographique). Raimu in Le Duel/The Duel (Pierre Fresnay, 1941).

Le Duel (1941)


In Le duel (1941) Pierre Fresnay plays a priest, who does not want his brother, a doctor (Raymond Rouleau), to marry the widow (Yvonne Printemps) he secretly loves. Raimu appears as another priest, half missionary, half guru who brings Fresnay back on the right path. In the end, the priest blesses his brother's marriage. D.B. DuMonteil at IMDb: "Le duel is Pierre Fresnay's only attempt at directing a movie. And considering the results, he was probably wise not to make another one." The film was scripted by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jean Villard.

Yvonne Printemps and Raimu in Le Duel (1941)
French mini-poster (collectors card) by Pathé-Cinéma. Photo: Production C.I.C.C. (Compagnie industrielle et commerciale cinématographique). Yvonne Printemps and Raimu in Le Duel/The Duel (Pierre Fresnay, 1941).

Sources: D.B. DuMonteil (IMDb), The New York Times, Wikipedia (French), and IMDb.

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