Le Million
Encyclopedia
Le Million is a 1931 French musical comedy film directed by René Clair
. The story was adapted by Clair from a play by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillemand.
worth a million Dutch florins. Realizing that he has left the ticket in the pocket of his jacket, he attempts to retrieve it but discovers that his fianncé Beatrice has given away the jacket to a criminal in order to elude the police. He and his rival race to retrace the jacket which has passed to a brigand nicknamed "Grandpa Tulip" and then to a tenor
singing "Les Bohémiens" at the opera
theater that night.
Michel, arriving at the theater following a stint at the local jail, and Beatrice engage in a madcap car chase as they endeavor to regain the ticket; during the chase the jacket flies out the window onto the top of a car. Fearing he has lost the ticket for good, Michel gets into the taxi of one of his creditors, only to find the sleeve of the jacket hanging in front of the window. After stopping the cab to remove the jacket from the top of the car, his attempt to search for the ticket in the pocket is thwarted by employees from the local opera house seeking to recover the jacket for the tenor. Leaving dejected, he returns to his apartment to find his creditors in good spirits, as they think that they will be repaid. Before he gives them the bad news, Tulip enters the apartment with a jacket. Thinking that this is his original jacket, Michel searches the pockets. Finding them empty, he tells Tulip that he actually wanted a ticket in the pocket, which Tulip subsequently produces, having taken it out of the jacket before giving it away.
René Clair
René Clair born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker.-Biography:He was born in Paris and grew up in the Les Halles quarter. He attended the Lycée Montaigne and the Lycée Louis-le-Grand. During World War I, he served as an ambulance driver. After the war, he started a career as a journalist...
. The story was adapted by Clair from a play by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillemand.
Plot
While being hounded by creditors, a debt-ridden artist discovers he has just won a lotteryLottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
worth a million Dutch florins. Realizing that he has left the ticket in the pocket of his jacket, he attempts to retrieve it but discovers that his fianncé Beatrice has given away the jacket to a criminal in order to elude the police. He and his rival race to retrace the jacket which has passed to a brigand nicknamed "Grandpa Tulip" and then to a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
singing "Les Bohémiens" at the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
theater that night.
Michel, arriving at the theater following a stint at the local jail, and Beatrice engage in a madcap car chase as they endeavor to regain the ticket; during the chase the jacket flies out the window onto the top of a car. Fearing he has lost the ticket for good, Michel gets into the taxi of one of his creditors, only to find the sleeve of the jacket hanging in front of the window. After stopping the cab to remove the jacket from the top of the car, his attempt to search for the ticket in the pocket is thwarted by employees from the local opera house seeking to recover the jacket for the tenor. Leaving dejected, he returns to his apartment to find his creditors in good spirits, as they think that they will be repaid. Before he gives them the bad news, Tulip enters the apartment with a jacket. Thinking that this is his original jacket, Michel searches the pockets. Finding them empty, he tells Tulip that he actually wanted a ticket in the pocket, which Tulip subsequently produces, having taken it out of the jacket before giving it away.
Cast (in credits order)
- Annabella as Beatrice
- Rene Lefevre as Michel Bouflette
- Jean-Louis Allibert as Prosper
- Paul Ollivier as Granpere Tulipe
- Constantin Siroesco as Ambrosio Sopranelli
- Raymond Cordy as Le Chauffeur De Taxi
- Vanda Greville as Vanda
- Odette Talazac as La Cantatrice
- Pedro Elviro as Le Regisseur
- Jane Pierson as L'Epiciere
- Andre Michaud as Le Boucher
- Eugene Stuber as Le Policier
- Pierre AlcoverPierre AlcoverPierre Alcover was a French film actor.He starred in 40 films between 1918 and 1943.In 1920 he starred in the film Champi-Tortu...
as Le Policier - Armand BernardArmand BernardArmand Bernard was a French comic actor known mainly for his work in film.-Filmography:* Le traitement du hoquet* The Little Cafe* Les Trois Mousquetaires* Mimi Pinson...
as Le Chef D'Orchestre - Gabrielle Rosny
- Georgette Dalmas
- Jean Gaubens
- Teddy Michaud
- Louis MusyLouis MusyLouis Musy was a French operatic baritone and stage director principally active at the Paris Opéra-Comique...
- Louis Pre Fils
- Georges Zwingel
- Edouard Francomme
- Franck Maurice
- Henri Kerny
- Gustave HuberdeauGustave HuberdeauGustave Huberdeau was a French operatic bass-baritone who had a prolific career in Europe and the United States during the first quarter of the twentieth century...
- Allan Durant