Now completely forgotten ,Russian born Leonide Maguy always displayed social concern.In the thirties ,his "Prison Sans Barreaux" showed a new approach to the burning "reforming school for girls" for girls;"Domano E Troppo Tardi was a heartfelt plea for sex education;"Les Enfants De L'Amour took place in a home for unwed moms and featured a good doctor(Jean-Claude Pascal) ,who resembled Dr André in this movie."Donnez -Moi Ma Chance" warned the clueless girls against the lure of movie stardom.
People who saw "Prisons Sans Barreaux " will notice the similarities of its ending and that of "Le Long Des Trottoirs":in both movies, a noble lady sacrifices her love to her work and reneges on her fiance's love who fell for her protegee .
In spite of the social concerns,the movie is first a melodrama which conveys all the clichés of the genre :the movie could have been made in the thirties,and in the fifties, is to be ranked among Maurice Cloche's efforts (not counting the "spiritual" side,in spite of the good nuns ' help)
All the clichés of the melodrama are here:a poor orphan ,who has just lost her dear grandma ,is welcomed by a devoted social worker ,but her bourgeois family is not prepared to accept it:turned out from the desirable mansion,then from her work as a cashier,she falls into a pimp's hands who makes her a hostess in the "blue moon" nightclub ,then a streetwalker...fortunately she's arrested and the welfare worker and her dear doctor give her a decent work:she becomes a medical secretary...maybe too efficient...
Anne Vernon is the stand -out: one of Becker's favorite actresses,she succeeds in transcending a plain part ;her beaming smile illuminates the movie;Danik Patisson ,who was 17 (her character's age ) is gorgeous but never became a star.Françoise Rosay ,the most famous name in the movie,has only one scene but the great thespian makes us feel her humiliation and her tiredness ('It's the first time I have begged in my life" );on the other hand ,both actors who play Vernon's brother and sister give awful performances .
Like the other Moguy films I mention ,this is old-fashioned stuff, but which might possess appeal for fans of melodramas.
People who saw "Prisons Sans Barreaux " will notice the similarities of its ending and that of "Le Long Des Trottoirs":in both movies, a noble lady sacrifices her love to her work and reneges on her fiance's love who fell for her protegee .
In spite of the social concerns,the movie is first a melodrama which conveys all the clichés of the genre :the movie could have been made in the thirties,and in the fifties, is to be ranked among Maurice Cloche's efforts (not counting the "spiritual" side,in spite of the good nuns ' help)
All the clichés of the melodrama are here:a poor orphan ,who has just lost her dear grandma ,is welcomed by a devoted social worker ,but her bourgeois family is not prepared to accept it:turned out from the desirable mansion,then from her work as a cashier,she falls into a pimp's hands who makes her a hostess in the "blue moon" nightclub ,then a streetwalker...fortunately she's arrested and the welfare worker and her dear doctor give her a decent work:she becomes a medical secretary...maybe too efficient...
Anne Vernon is the stand -out: one of Becker's favorite actresses,she succeeds in transcending a plain part ;her beaming smile illuminates the movie;Danik Patisson ,who was 17 (her character's age ) is gorgeous but never became a star.Françoise Rosay ,the most famous name in the movie,has only one scene but the great thespian makes us feel her humiliation and her tiredness ('It's the first time I have begged in my life" );on the other hand ,both actors who play Vernon's brother and sister give awful performances .
Like the other Moguy films I mention ,this is old-fashioned stuff, but which might possess appeal for fans of melodramas.