''Burning Fuse'' (French: ''Le feu aux poudres'') is a 1957 French-Italian

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Henri Decoin Henri Decoin (18 March 1890 – 4 July 1969) was a French film director and screenwriter, who directed more than 50 films between 1933 and 1964. He was also a swimmer who won the national title in 1911 and held the national record in the 500 ...

and starring

Raymond Pellegrin Raymond Pellegrin (1 January 1925 – 14 October 2007) was a French actor. Born in Nice, Pellegrin made his screen debut in the 1945 French feature '' Naïs''. He was also famous in France for dubbing Jean Marais for the voice of Fantômas ...

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 76-year film career, which began in 1912, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

and Peter van Eyck. 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 ...

. The films sets were designed by the

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 ...

René Renoux René Renoux (1904–2000) was a French art director.Buache p.162 Selected filmography * ''The Pure Truth'' (1931) * '' Topaze'' (1933) * '' Prince Jean'' (1934) * '' Speak to Me of Love'' (1935) * '' You Can't Fool Antoinette'' (1936) * '' The ...

Synopsis

Lola, the wife of a notorious

arms dealer The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and servi ...

Pédro Wassevitch is attracted to a young

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

Ludovic. Unknown to her he has been sent to infiltrate Wassevitch's operation which both a rival and the police are interested in.

Cast

as Ludovic 'Ludo' Ferrier *

as Albatrasse * Peter van Eyck as Pédro Wassevitch *

Françoise Fabian Michèle Cortes (born 10 May 1933), known professionally as Françoise Fabian (), is a French film actress. She has appeared in more than 100 films since 1956. In 1971, Fabian signed the Manifesto of the 343 The Manifesto of the 343 (), was a F ...

as Lola Wassevitch * Lino Ventura as Legentil *

Darío Moreno David Arugete (3 April 1921 – 1 December 1968), commonly known under his stage name Darío Moreno, was a Turkish-Jewish polyglot singer, an accomplished composer, lyricist, and guitarist. He attained fame and made a remarkable career centred ...

as Jeff * Lyla Rocco as Brigitte *

Jacqueline Maillan Jacqueline Jeanne Paule Maillan (11 January 1923 - 12 May 1992) was a French actress with a career spanning almost five decades, known primarily for her forty theatre productions, she also appeared in more than fifty films (1947 to 1992) and is ...

as Mme Catherine, l'aubergiste *

Mathilde Casadesus Mathilde Casadesus (1921–1965) was a French film actress.Goble p.95 Partial filmography * '' Box of Dreams'' (1945) - L'Agitée * ''La part de l'ombre'' (1945) * ''The Idiot'' (1946) - Adélaïde Epantchine * ''The Murdered Model'' (1948) - Ma ...

as Mimi * Pierre-Louis as L' inspecteur Fougeron *

Roland Armontel Roland Armontel (21 December 1901 – 15 March 1980) was a French actor. Born Auguste Louis Magnin in Vimoutiers, Orne, France, he died in Paris. Selected filmography * ''Fun in the Barracks'' (1932) * ''Let's Touch Wood'' (1933) * ''Les Mis ...

as Antoine *

Henri Cogan Henri Cogan (13 September 1914 in Paris – 23 September 2003 in Boulogne-Billancourt) was a French actor and stuntman. Biography Before Henri Cogan became a fight choreographer for European action films he proved his expertise in hand-to-hand comb ...

as Matt *

Michel Flamme Michel Flamme is a French chef. He worked in "Byerly Turk Restaurant ", the restaurant of the Michelin starred Kildare Hotel and Golf Club (K Club) in Straffan, County Kildare, when it earned its stars between 1993 and 1994. He was executive head ...

as Un inspecteur *

Michel Jourdan Michel Yves René Leray (2 June 1926 – 4 August 1985), better known by the stage name of Michel Jourdan, was French film actor. Jourdan died in Paris on 4 August 1985, at the age of 59. Selected filmography * '' The Passenger'' (1949) * '' Mam ...

as Dédé * Pascal Mazzotti as Le pharmacien * Georges Bayle *

François Chaumette François Chaumette (1923–1996) was a French actor. Filmography External linksFrançois Chaumette
at IMDB. 1923 births 1996 deaths French male voice actors Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française French National Academy of Dramatic ...

as L'ingénieur du son *

Nino Crisman Nino Crisman (1911–1983) was an Italian actor and film producer. Crisman was born in the port city of Trieste when it was still a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Crisman made his film debut in 1939 during the Fascist era. He appeared as ...

* Le Hang * Olivier Darrieux as Un inspecteur * Lisa Jouvet as La serveuse *

Marthe Mercadier Marthe Mercadier (23 October 1928 – 15 September 2021) was a French actress. Filmography Awards * In 1974, she was named Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. * In 1989, she won the ''Molière Award'' of the Best Comic Show. * In 2007, she was n ...

as L'aubergiste *

Albert Simonin Albert Simonin (1905–1980) was a French novelist and scriptwriter. He was born in the La Chapelle quarter of the 18th arrondissement of Paris. His father was a florist. Albert was orphaned by the age of 16.''Paris Match'' No.3134 11–17 June 20 ...

as Albert

References

Bibliography

* Davidson, John & Hake, Sabine. ''Framing the Fifties: Cinema in a Divided Germany''. Berghahn Books, 2007.

External links

* 1957 films 1950s thriller films French thriller films Italian thriller films 1950s French-language films Films directed by Henri Decoin Films with screenplays by Albert Simonin 1950s French films 1950s Italian films Films shot at Billancourt Studios French-language Italian films {{1950s-thriller-film-stub