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Bookmark this pagePrix de Beauté (1930)
Director: Augusto Genina
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Forget the obscure Genina, this is a photographer's movie, from the fluid location shooting at the start to the strikingly lit finale of murder in a preview theatre. Most beguiling is the camera's love affair with the face of Louise Brooks, whose eyes retain their sparkle no matter how faded the print. She plays a typist whose progress from beauty queen to film star alienates her working class boyfriend, who kills her with his ignominiously tiny pistol. Although beset by a possessive lover, by showbiz exploiters and, in a remarkable funfair scene, by humanity generally, Brooks is so sheerly, dominatingly vivacious that oppression hardly seems an issue. The ending - Brooks dead in the stalls, her image alive on screen - will be more resonant now than in 1930.Author: BBa
Cast & crew
Director: Augusto Genina
Cast: Hélène Regelly, Georges Charlia, Jean Bradin, H Bandini, Alex Bernard, Louise Brooks full cast
Duration: 94 mins
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