Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageUn Carnet de Bal (1937)
Director: Julien Duvivier
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A couple of decades on, the list of partners on an old dance card, dating back to when she was 16, excites the curiosity of Bell, a well-heeled widow, who sets off on a quest to discover what became of them all. As if the framework itself wasn't poignant enough, the film's seven episodes plus coda are mostly concerned with death, disappointment and the melancholy of dashed hopes. (Moral: throw stuff away.) Too slick and sentimental to be truly affecting, the film's justification is its extraordinary cast: Jouvet as a rueful but ruthless crook, Raimu a small town mayor conducting his own wedding ceremony, Blanchar a one-eyed abortionist. The actual production is rather skimpy, compared with the resources Duvivier was able to lavish on Lydia, his Hollywood remake.Author: BBa
Cast & crew
Director: Julien Duvivier
Cast: Marie Bell, Françoise Rosay, Louis Jouvet, Harry Baur, Pierre-Richard Wilm, Raimu, Pierre Blanchar, Fernandel, Robert Lynen full cast
Duration: 130 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now