''Extenuating Circumstances'' (French: ''Circonstances atténuantes'') is a 1939 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 Jean Boyer and starring

Michel Simon Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss-French actor. He appeared in many notable French films, including ''La Chienne'' (1931), ''Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932), ''L'Atalante'' (1934), '' Port of Shadows'' (1938), '' The H ...

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'' ( ...

and

Arletty Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat (15 May 1898 – 23 July 1992), known professionally as Arletty, was a French actress, singer, and fashion model. As an actress she is particularly known for classics directed by Marcel Carné, including ''Hotel du No ...

.The A to Z of French Cinema p.294 It was shot at the

Joinville Studios The Joinville Studios were a film studio in Paris which operated between 1910 and 1987. They were one of the leading French studios, with major companies such as Pathé and Gaumont making films there. A second studio was added to the original ...

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 film's 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 ...

Jacques Colombier Jacques Colombier is a French politician and a member of National Front (France), National Front. As the FN's top candidate in Aquitaine in the 2004 French regional elections, 2004 regional elections he won 11.45% of the votes in the first round ...

Synopsis

A retired

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

known for his harsh views on law and order, leaves for a seaside

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

with his wife. However just outside Paris their car breaks down and they are forced to spend the night in a hotel which is a notorious haunt for criminals.

Cast

as M. Gaetan Le Sentencier, 'La Sentence' *

as Mme Nathalie Le Sentencier * Dorville as Jules Le Bouic *

as Marie Qu'a-d'ça * François Simon as La poupée *

Andrex Andrex is a British brand of toilet roll. It is owned by the American company Kimberly-Clark. The "Andrex Puppy", a Labrador Retriever puppy that appears on the company's television advertisements, is synonymous with the brand. The brand Andre ...

as Môme de Dieu *

Robert Arnoux Robert Raymond Arnoux (23 October 1899, in Lille – 13 March 1964, in Paris) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''Hantise'' (1922) * ''Napoléon (1927 film), Napoléon'' (1927) - Un conventionnel (uncredited) * ''Rive gauche'' (1931) ...

as Gabriel, the chauffeur *

Jeanine Roger Jeanine is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Jeanine Áñez (born 1967), Bolivian politician and lawyer who served as Interim President of Bolivia from 2019 to 2020 *Jeanine Bapst (born 1968), Swiss ski mountaineer *Jeanine Basin ...

as Gabriel's Girlfriend *

Robert Ozanne Robert Ozanne (February 13, 1898 – September 14, 1941) was a French film actor.Youngkin p.466 Selected filmography * ''The Three Musketeers'' (1932) * ''The Oil Sharks'' (1933) * '' Miquette'' (1934) * '' The House on the Dune'' (1934) * ''The ...

as Cinq de Canne *

Georges Lannes Georges Lannes (27 October 1895 – 8 July 1983) was a French film actor who appeared in more than a hundred films during his career including '' André Cornélis'' (1927).Goble p.50 Selected filmography * '' The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) * '' ...

as Coup de Châsse *

Liliane Lesaffre Liliane is a given name for women, most often used where French language, French is spoken, a variant of Lillian (name), Lillian and Lily, associated with the flower name Lily, genus Lilium. People with this name *Liliane Ackermann (1938–2007), ...

as Lontine Le Bouic *

Mila Parély Mila Parély (7 October 1917 – 14 January 2012), born Olga Colette Peszynski, was a French actress of Polish ancestry best known for the roles of Félicie, Belle's eldest sister, in Jean Cocteau's '' La Belle et la Bête'' (1946), and as Gen ...

as La Panthère * Émile Saint-Ober as Coco

References

Bibliography

* Dayna Oscherwitz & MaryEllen Higgins. ''The A to Z of French Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1939 films French comedy films 1939 comedy films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Jean Boyer Films shot at Joinville Studios Films set in Paris 1930s French films {{1930s-France-film-stub