Innocents in Paris
Encyclopedia
Innocents in Paris is a 1953 British French international co-production
comedy film
produced by Romulus Films, directed by Gordon Parry
and starring Alastair Sim
, Jimmy Edwards
, Claire Bloom
, Margaret Rutherford
, James Copeland
and Ronald Shiner
as Dicky Bird. The film features Louis de Funès
as a taxi driver and uncredited appearances by Christopher Lee
, Laurence Harvey
and Kenneth Williams
.
The film is a mild romantic comedy about a group of Britons flying out for a weekend in Paris in 1953 in a British European Airways
Airspeed Ambassador
. During this period of time, Britons could only take £5 of currency out of the country.
The character played by Margaret Rutherford is an amateur artist searching out the Mona Lisa
in the Louvre; Claire Bloom is a young girl who finds romance with an older Frenchman (Claude Dauphin
); Ronald Shiner
is a Royal Marine bandsman out on the tiles for the night after winning a pool of all the French currency that each Marine had; Battle of Normandy
veteran James Copeland is an archetypal Scotsman in kilt
and Tam o' Shanter who finds love with a young French girl who "rescues" him with her sewing skills when his kilt rips in an amusement park
; Jimmy Edwards
plays a hearty Englishman who spends the entire weekend in an English-style pub; and Alastair Sim is a diplomatist, trying to obtain a signed agreement with his Russian counterpart (Peter Illing).
The writer and producer was Anatole de Grunwald
, born in Russia in 1910, who fled to Britain with his parents in 1917. He had a long career there as a writer and producer, including the films The Way to the Stars
, The Winslow Boy
, Doctor's Dilemma, Libel, and The Yellow Rolls Royce.
The film displays the mores and manners of the British, and to a lesser extent, the French in the early fifties. It also features in the Russian nightclub, of which there were several in Paris at the time, Ludmila Lopato, the celebrated Russian tzigane chanteuse, singing the original Russian version of the song that, once translated, became "Those were the Days
", made famous by Mary Hopkin
.
International co-production
An international co-production is a production where two or more different production companies are working together, for example in a film production...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
produced by Romulus Films, directed by Gordon Parry
Gordon Parry (film director)
Gordon Parry was a British film director and producer. Born in Aintree on 24 July 1908, he directed his first film Third Time Lucky in 1948. He died in 1981.-Selected filmography:* Third Time Lucky * Fast and Loose...
and starring Alastair Sim
Alastair Sim
Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
, Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
, Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom is an English film and stage actress.-Early life:Bloom was born in the North London suburb of Finchley, the daughter of Elizabeth and Edward Max Blume, who worked in sales...
, Margaret Rutherford
Margaret Rutherford
Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford DBE was an English character actress, who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest...
, James Copeland
James Copeland (actor)
James Copeland was a Scottish actor.His lengthy career included the ship's mate in The Maggie, the guide in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Captain Ogilvie in Operation Kilt, an episode of Dad's Army, and the Scottish customer in Camping In, an episode of Are You Being Served?.James Copeland...
and Ronald Shiner
Ronald Shiner
Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedic actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.-Career:...
as Dicky Bird. The film features Louis de Funès
Louis de Funès
Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza was a very popular French actor who is one of the giants of French comedy alongside André Bourvil and Fernandel...
as a taxi driver and uncredited appearances by Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
, Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
and Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
.
The film is a mild romantic comedy about a group of Britons flying out for a weekend in Paris in 1953 in a British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
Airspeed Ambassador
Airspeed Ambassador
The Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador was a British twin piston engined airliner that first flew on 10 July 1947 and served in small numbers through the 1950s and 1960s.-Design and development:...
. During this period of time, Britons could only take £5 of currency out of the country.
The character played by Margaret Rutherford is an amateur artist searching out the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
in the Louvre; Claire Bloom is a young girl who finds romance with an older Frenchman (Claude Dauphin
Claude Dauphin
Claude Dauphin is a lawyer and politician in the province of Quebec, Canada. He is a Montreal city councillor and also serves as the mayor of the Montreal borough of Lachine...
); Ronald Shiner
Ronald Shiner
Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedic actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.-Career:...
is a Royal Marine bandsman out on the tiles for the night after winning a pool of all the French currency that each Marine had; Battle of Normandy
Battle of Normandy
The Invasion of Normandy was the invasion and establishment of Allied forces in Normandy, France, during Operation Overlord in World War II. It was the largest amphibious operation in history...
veteran James Copeland is an archetypal Scotsman in kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
and Tam o' Shanter who finds love with a young French girl who "rescues" him with her sewing skills when his kilt rips in an amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
; Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
plays a hearty Englishman who spends the entire weekend in an English-style pub; and Alastair Sim is a diplomatist, trying to obtain a signed agreement with his Russian counterpart (Peter Illing).
The writer and producer was Anatole de Grunwald
Anatole de Grunwald
Anatole "Tolly" de Grunwald was a British film producer and screenwriter.Anatole de Grunwald was born in Petrograd , Russia, the son of a diplomat in the service of Tsar Nicholas II. He was seven years old when his father was forced to flee with his family to England during the 1917 Bolshevik...
, born in Russia in 1910, who fled to Britain with his parents in 1917. He had a long career there as a writer and producer, including the films The Way to the Stars
The Way to the Stars
The Way to the Stars, also known as Johnny in the Clouds, is a 1945 British war drama film made by Two Cities Films and released by United Artists. It was produced by Anatole de Grunwald and directed by Anthony Asquith...
, The Winslow Boy
The Winslow Boy
thumb|1st edition cover The Winslow Boy is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an actual incident in the Edwardian era, which took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne.-Performance History:...
, Doctor's Dilemma, Libel, and The Yellow Rolls Royce.
The film displays the mores and manners of the British, and to a lesser extent, the French in the early fifties. It also features in the Russian nightclub, of which there were several in Paris at the time, Ludmila Lopato, the celebrated Russian tzigane chanteuse, singing the original Russian version of the song that, once translated, became "Those were the Days
Those Were the Days (song)
"Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to the Russian song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" , written by Boris Fomin with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevskii. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism...
", made famous by Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....
.