''Black and White'' (French: ''Le blanc et le noir'') is a 1931 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

and

Robert Florey Robert Florey (14 September 1900 – 16 May 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Born as Robert Fuchs in Paris, he became an orphan at an early age and was then raised in Switzerland. In 1920 he worked a ...

and starring

Raimu Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', '' Fanny'' and '' César''). Life and career Born in T ...

André Alerme André Alerme (9 September 1877 – 31 January 1960) was a French actor. Alerme was born Marie André Alerme in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France and died at the age of 82 in Montrichard, Loir-et-Cher, France. Selected filmography * ''Black and Wh ...

and

Louis Baron fils Louis Bouchêne, known as Louis Baron, fils (born Paris 24 December 1870, died Dieppe 30 November 1939), was an actor and singer, who took part in many operettas and comédie-musicales, and was in 30 films between 1929 et 1938. He was the son of ...

. Described as a "feeble racist comedy" it was the feature screen debut to the comedian

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan to ...

.Crisp p.238 It is an adaptation of the 1922 play of the same title by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follow ...

, who wrote the screenplay. It was shot at the

Billancourt Studios Billancourt Studios was a film studio in Paris which operated between 1922 and 1992. Located in Boulogne-Billancourt, it was one of the leading French studios. It was founded in the silent era by Henri Diamant-Berger. During the Second World War ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Marc Allégret also worked as

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

, designing the film's sets.

Cast

as Marcel Desnoyers *

as George Samoy *

as H. Massicourt - Le père de Marguerite' *

Charles Lamy Charles Lamy or M. Lamy (28 August 1857 – 15 June 1940) was the stage name of the French actor Charles Castarède.Martin, p. 214 Life and career Lamy was born in Lyon to a theatrical family. His younger brother Maurice became an actor. He bega ...

as Le docteur Leclerc *

Louis Kerly Louis Kerly (1872–1936) was a French stage actor, stage and film actor.Goble p.475 Selected filmography * ''In Old Alsace (1920 film), In Old Alsace'' (1920) * ''The Bread Peddler (1923 film), The Bread Peddler'' (1923) * ''The Two Boys (1924 f ...

as Arthur *

as Le groom vierge *

Paul Pauley Paul Pauley (1886–1938) was a French stage and film actor.Goble p.39 Selected filmography * ''Count Kostia'' (1925) * ''The Man in Evening Clothes'' (1931) * '' Black and White'' (1931) * '' Aces of the Turf'' (1932) * ''Étienne'' (1933) * '' ...

as M. Timiriou - le chef de bureau *

Suzanne Dantès Suzanne Dantès (1888–1958) was a French stage and film actress.Abecassis p.96 Selected filmography * ''The Courier of Lyon'' (1923) * ''Black and White'' (1931) * '' A Happy Man'' (1932) * ''Extenuating Circumstances'' (1939) * '' Miquette'' ( ...

as Marguerite Desnoyers *

Irène Wells Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...

as Peggy Samoy * Charlotte Clasis as Mme Massicaut *

Pauline Carton Pauline Carton (4 July 1884 – 17 June 1974) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 190 films between 1907 and 1974. Filmography * ''La fille du Boche'' (1915) * ''Blanchette'' (1921) * ''La femme de nulle part'' (1922) * '' ...

as Marie - la bonne *

Monette Dinay Monette Dinay (1906–1986) was a French film actress.Crisp p.45 Partial filmography * ''Black and White'' (1931) - Joséphine * ''L'agence O-Kay'' (1932) - Simone * ''Ce cochon de Morin'' (1932) * ''Un beau jour de noces'' (1932) - Marinette D ...

as Joséphine * Les Jackson Girls as Elles-mêmes - dans leur numéro

References

Bibliography

* Crisp, Colin. ''French Cinema—A Critical Filmography: Volume 1, 1929–1939''. Indiana University Press, 2015.

External links

* 1931 films 1931 comedy films French comedy films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Marc Allégret Films directed by Robert Florey Films shot at Billancourt Studios French films based on plays Films based on works by Sacha Guitry 1930s French films {{1930s-France-film-stub