Joan of Paris

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Movie
Original title Joan of Paris
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1942
length 93 minutes
Rod
Director Robert Stevenson
script Charles Bennett ,
Ellis St. Joseph
production David Hempstead
music Roy Webb
camera Russell Metty
cut Sherman Todd
occupation

Joan of Paris (German Johanna from Paris ) is an American romantic war film drama directed by Robert Stevenson from 1942. A waitress in Paris risks her life to help crashed pilots escape their German- occupied homeland . The leading roles are cast with Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid as well as Thomas Mitchell , Laird Cregar and May Robson .

The script goes back to a story by Jacques Théry and Georges Kessel. Roy Webb was nominated for an Oscar in 1943 with his music for the film .

action

Second World War : Five Royal Air Force pilots are shot down in their aircraft over France. The men are led by Paul Lavallier, a member of the Free French Movement, who fled to Great Britain after being sentenced to death by the Germans. Lavallier decides to turn to British Secret Service in Paris for help. On their way to Paris, the men break into a bar to get civilian clothes, where they are discovered by a German soldier. They can overpower the man, steal his wallet and then split up with the aim of reuniting in a cathedral in Paris. The injured German soldier was soon found by his comrades, who immediately started chasing the five men who had fled.

In the meantime, the Paris Gestapo chief Funk has received reports of the incident and immediately concludes that the refugees must be the missing pilots. Funk sets his machinery in motion and gives orders to concentrate on the banknote stolen from the soldier, which is stamped with the mark of the German paymaster.

The refugees have now reached the cathedral in Paris. One of them, baby, was injured while trying to escape. He warns Paul that he has noticed that he is being followed by a Gestapo man. Paul turns to Father Antoine, his youth priest, in the cathedral and asks for help in contacting the British secret service, an underground organization. Antoine suggests that the men should first hide in the Paris sewer system and lead them to the crypt from which they can get to the tunnels. In order to secure baby's escape, Paul leads the Gestapo man, who persecutes him stubbornly, astray and takes the path to a nearby café. However, his pursuer stays with him, leading to an incident with Joan, the waitress. He apologizes to her, escapes through the toilet window and takes a flight of stairs to Joan's room. Shortly afterwards, the young woman enters the room to change her torn dress. Paul becomes aware of how she prays to St. Jeanne , her patron saint and at the same time French martyr, and asks her for a new dress. Although Joan is initially shocked that Paul is hiding in her closet, she tells him that his pursuer recently arrested a British secret agent in the café. Since Paul feels guilty about the torn dress, he tells Joan that Father Antoine asked him to give her a banknote, which she can use to buy a dress, especially since he sees it as the only way to get in touch again at the moment to come to the priest.

Antoine visits the convicted agent in prison, who provides him with important information before he goes to his death. Paul has meanwhile spent the night in Joan's room and fell asleep exhausted. When he wakes up, he implores Joan that France will never be conquered and then says goodbye to Joan to meet Antoine in church. As soon as the priest has given him a sheet of paper with a contact address, Nazi soldiers enter the building and arrest Paul because he cannot produce any documents. Before that, he was just able to hide the contact sheet in a Bible. The men bring him to Funk, who immediately recognizes him as one of the missing pilots. Paul pretends to have left his papers at home, whereupon Funk hands him an identification document and releases him, convinced that Paul will lead him to his four comrades.

Antoine has meanwhile been able to arrange a meeting with Paul to give him the address of Mademoiselle Rosay, a British secret service agent. He urgently warns Paul to be careful, as he is still being followed. In order to trick the Gestapo, Antoine suggests that Joan first get in touch with Mlle Rosay. When Joan passes the shop where she bought a new dress, a Gestapo man follows her from there, as it is now known that she has paid with the marked banknote. At the same time both arrive at Mlle Rosay, but the women manage to escape through a back door. When Joan returns to her room late in the evening with a hand injured while trying to escape, Paul confesses to her that he has fallen in love with her. The next morning Mlle Rosay gives him a map of the sewerage system where a boat is waiting for him and his comrades at a certain point at 2 a.m. She explicitly asks Paul to notify her if he cannot shake off his pursuers. That night, Paul shows Joan the Free France medallion he is wearing and promises to return and marry her when the war is over. As soon as Paul has left, Joan sees the Gestapo man in the street and runs to warn Paul. Paul sends Joan to give the card to his comrades while he tries to shake off the Gestapo man. When Joan arrives in the tunnel, she meets Father Antoine, who is reciting Baby Psalm 23 to the dying pilot .

At the same time, Paul succeeds in luring the Gestapo man, who persecutes him, into a steam bath, where he can overwhelm him. He shoots him with his own gun. Since it seems to be too late to reach the rescue boat, he sends a message to Joan. Joan can just hide the note in the watch Paul gave her when she hears the Gestapo coming up the stairs. When the clock suddenly stops playing, Funk finds the note and concludes that Paul is hiding in the church. He offers Joan to spare Paul's life if she leads him to the others. Joan agrees on the premise that she can meet Paul alone in church beforehand. There she tells Paul that his comrades are still waiting for him. Knowing that her betrayal of Funk will cost her life, Joan sends Paul away and promises to wait for him.

After Paul leaves, Joan leads Funk and his men back and forth through the sewer tunnels and delays everything until she hears the sound of Paul's motorboat. On the day she is sentenced to death, Joan visits Father Antoine in the dress that brought her and Paul together. When she courageously faces death, the priest assures her that she will live on in the heart of France. A volley of gunfire pounds down on Joan as Paul and his comrades land safely in the UK, free.

production

Production notes

It is a production by RKO Radio Pictures . The working title of the film was: Jeanne d'Arc . The film had an estimated budget of $ 666,000. Filming began in mid-September and continued until the end of October 1941. RKO created the largest and most elaborate set for the film in the studio since the literary film adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame .

The film structures were designed by Albert S. D'Agostino and Carroll Clark , while Darrell Silvera and Thomas K. Little took care of the equipment . The later star director Robert Aldrich made his unnamed, cinematic debut here as a second assistant director.

As could be read in a preliminary report for the film in the film industry's magazine The Hollywood Reporter , Charles Boyer , Robert Morley and Jean Gabin were in discussion for roles in the film and David Hempstead was supposed to head the project at Julien Duvivier's request because he was already with Gabin and Michèle Morgan had worked together in Europe. Also Lewis Milestone 's name came up, he should be but resigned over differences with the studio of the project. For the Austrian actor Paul Henreid, the film marks his debut in an American film, as well as for Michèle Morgan. Henreid had already appeared in a number of British-American co-productions before this film. Laird Cregar was loaned to 20th Century Fox to produce .

Soundtrack

In addition, pieces of music by Constantin Bakaleinikoff , who was also the musical director, as well as by Leigh Harline , Werner Richard Heymann , Alan Jay Lerner , Alfred Newman , Miklós Rózsa , Conrad Salinger , Louis Silvers , David Snell , Max Steiner and Charles were made from the archive Wolcott used.

reception

publication

The film was released on February 20, 1942 in the USA, the premiere took place on January 23, 1942 in New York. In Mexico it was published in June 1942. In 1945 it started in Sweden and Portugal, 1946 in France, 1947 in Finland, 1948 in Italy, 1950 in Denmark and in Hong Kong. It was also published in Brazil, Spain, Greece and Poland.

criticism

Bosley Crowther stated in his review for the New York Times that RKO's Joan of Paris was a manifested fantasy in the realm of probability. Because here a story of personal bravery and selfless self-sacrifice is told so simply and eloquently and played so beautifully that it could absolutely be true. At least the heart rejoices and the pulse skyrockets at the thought that it could be so. Crowther spoke of masterful camera work and sharp editing, which makes the chase an exciting thing. The frequent use of close-ups and shots of feet stomping on sidewalks coordinated subjective responses with objective speed. He went on to say that Stevenson's performance with the actors had been excellent; Michèle Morgan gives the character of the dreamy French woman deep flavor and real nobility; Paul Henreid is a fine combination of sensitivity and rough determination; Thomas Mitchell bestows authority and tenderness on the Parisian priest and May Robson as a British agent is sublime, casual and cozy. And without saying a word about Alexander Granach as a Gestapo leech, it is said that he embodies one of the worst villains of the season. Conclusion: Joan of Paris is an exciting and tenderly moving film that will pay tribute to the high courage until the lights of Paris shine again.

The United States Bishops' Conference (USCCB) spoke of a routine World War II moral streak in which an RAF bomber crew in France flees Nazi persecutors while being assisted by a priest, an underground agent and a waitress who falls in love with the crew's free French captain . Although the grim situation would result in some tense moments, the fateful romance and pious references to Joan of Arc would only underline the anti-Nazi theme.

Variety noted the main contributors to the film were the American debuts of Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid. Although the film is fascinating in the first half, the highlights would be repeated in the second section without expanding the tragedy it contained.

DVD Savant's Glenn Erickson found the film to be a moving romantic drama, a passionate war romance from a free French aviator and a Parisian barmaid who helped him evade the Gestapo. The strong script introduced Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid well into American film and its audience. The chemistry between the two is right. Director Stevenson get the most out of actors and script. The film may not have been remembered very well, but almost every actor seems to have benefited from it.

Award

Academy Awards 1943 :

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The 15th Academy Awards | 1943 sS oscars.org (English)
  2. ↑ a b Joan of Paris Original Print Info at TCM (English)
  3. ↑ Joan of Paris Trivia at TCM (English)
  4. ↑ Joan of Paris Notes at TCM (English)
  5. ↑ Bosley Crowther : "Joan of Paris", Poignant Drama, opens at Rivoli
    In: The New York Times , January 26, 1942 (English). Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ Joan of Paris sS archive.usccb.org (English)
  7. ↑ Joan of Paris sS variety.com (English)
  8. ↑ Glenn Erickson: Joan of Paris sS dvdtalk.com (English)