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Shop Girls of Paris
1943 ‘Au Bonheur des Dames’ Directed by André Cayatte
Synopsis
The struggles of a small business owner come to light in this film by director André Cayatte. The proprietor of a fabric shop, M. Baudu faces stiff competition when a department store moves in across the street, the first of its kind in 1860s Paris. On top of the stresses associated with the rival retailer, Baudu’s niece and two nephews take up residence with him after recently being orphaned. The niece, Denise Baudu, sees the writing on the wall …more
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Cast
Michel Simon Albert Préjean Blanchette Brunoy Suzy Prim Juliette Faber Huguette Vivier Santa Relli Catherine Fonteney Jacqueline Gauthier René Blancard Georges Chamarat Pierre Bertin Maximilienne Marcelle Rexiane Suzet Maïs André Reybaz Jean Tissier Jean Rigaux Pierre Labry Dorette Ardenne Odette Barencey Paul Barge Jeannette Batti Jacques Beauvais Albert Broquin Charlotte Ecard Gustave Gallet Jacques Latrouite Palmyre Levasseur Show All…
82 mins More at IMDB TMDBSign in to log, rate or review
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RATINGS
★1 half-★ rating (2%)
1 ★ rating (2%)
5 ★★ ratings (9%)
8 ★★½ ratings (14%)
14 ★★★ ratings (24%)
18 ★★★½ ratings (31%)
3 ★★★★ ratings (5%)
2 ★★★★½ ratings (3%)
6 ★★★★★ ratings (10%)★★★★★
POPULAR REVIEWSMORE
Review by Filipe Furtado ★★
The source Zola novel was made into s very good late silent by a young Duvivier that was as exciting put together as this Cayatte version is sluggish. It hits the plot, tries to keep it adequate for Vichy’s France and has no feeling for the city or much ambition beyond its intrigue. Michel Simon is around as the uncle, but the movie underuses him.
5 likes
Review by Tony (tectactoe) ★★★
[56]
Expected nothing, and while I wasn't blown away, nor was I ever disengaged, which is often more than enough for these small-scale French 1940s films. It actually presents a reasonable exhibit on the plight of modest, privately-owned businesses in the shadow of conglomerates; moreover, it doesn't outright deem the Big Bad Corporations strictly as scaremongering evildoers, rather it smudges the lines between helpful vs. harmful, and perhaps more importantly, ruination and struggle vs. progression and necessity. A few overly dramatic (and frankly unnecessary) spikes reduce the summation from "good" to merely "decent" (e.g. the sudden death, some of the raucous outbursts, etc.); some beautifully alluring set pieces, though : you won't mistake their staginess for the real thing, but that's not really the point. It's a surprisingly well-crafted world, if somewhat homely.
5 likes
Review by julian ★★ 1
Au Bonheur des Dames is one of my favorite french novels – perhaps one of my favorite novels over all – so this adaptation really did leave me feeling lacking. it felt soulless, lacking the subtlety, cruelty, and kindness of Zola's novel – Denise, the protagonist, is reduced to a pawn in other peoples' games. M. Mouret is just a straight up jerk and isn't even handsome. Mme Desforges is wholly stupid, exploitable, lacking in her characteristic cleverness. there's just nothing there. the characters feel like chalk drawings one can't sink their claws into.
removed from the context of the novel, this is a decent little film. it's not special, but not egregiously bad. but i can't get over how dismal of an adaptation this is. which is odd! because it sticks quite literally to the book, but it lacks all the passion, the flavor, the intrigue – they never even delve into the mystery of Mouret's wife's death!!! it's only mentioned in passing! what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 likes
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