''Four Knaves'' (French: ''Carré de valets'') is a 1947 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

André Berthomieu André Berthomieu (16 February 1903 – 10 April 1960) was a French screenwriter and film director. He was married to the actress Line Noro. Selected filmography Director * '' Not So Stupid'' (1928) * '' The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard'' (1929) * ...

and starring

Jean Desailly Jean Desailly (24 August 1920 – 11 June 2008) was a French actor. He was a member of the Comédie-Française from 1942 to 1946, and later participated in about 90 movies. Life and career Desailly studied at the École nationale supérieure des ...

Martine Carol Martine Carol (born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer; 16 May 1920 – 6 February 1967) was a French film actress. Career Born Maryse Mourer (or Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer) in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, (France), she studied acting und ...

and

Denise Grey Denise Grey (born Édouardine Verthuy; 17 September 1896 – 13 January 1996) was an Italian-born actress who became a naturalized French citizen. Biography Édouardine Grey was born in Châtillon in the Aosta Valley of north-west Italy, clos ...

.https://www.unifrance.org/film/4856/carre-de-valets It was shot at the

Francoeur Studios The Francoeur Studios are film production studios in Paris. In 1926 Bernard Natan's Rapid Films set up production at the location, before in 1929 it was merged with the Pathé conglomerate under Natan's overall control. In the postwar era it wa ...

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 ...

Raymond Nègre Raymond Nègre was a French art director active in the film industry during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.Hayward p.241 Selected filmography * '' My First Love'' (1945) * '' Resistance'' (1945) * '' Not So Stupid'' (1946) * ''Women's Games'' (1946) ...

Synopsis

Jacques de la Bastide is a struggling

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

who is dominated by his overbearing mother. For once he manages to win a case, getting three petty criminals off. To his surprise he finds out from Catherine, the attractive daughter of one of the men, that they are disappointed as they had been hoping to have board and lodging in prison over the winter. He agrees to take them on as

servant A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

s in his own household.

Cast

as Jacques de la Bastide *

as Catherine Bonpain *

as Madame de la Bastide * Pierre Larquey as Arthur Bonpain - un cambrioleur *

Liliane Bert Liliane Bert (1922-2015) was a French film and television actress.Hayward p.146 Selected filmography * '' The Blue Veil'' (1942) * '' We Are Not Married'' (1946) * ''Colonel Durand'' (1948) * ''Sergil and the Dictator'' (1948) * ''The Heroic Mons ...

as Betty *

Paul Faivre Paul Faivre (3 March 1886 – 5 March 1973) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''The House Opposite'' (1937) * ''Behind the Facade'' (1939) * '' Vidocq'' (1939) * '' Annette and the Blonde Woman'' (1942) * ''The Count of Monte Crist ...

as Le président Piquet *

Robert Berri Robert Berri (16 December 1912 – 22 November 1989) was a French film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1937 and 1979. Selected filmography References External links * 1912 births 1989 deaths French male film actors Male ...

as Philibert - un escroc * Henri Charrett as Un invité *

Roger Saget Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...

as Biscotin * Christiane Muller as Madame Biscotin * Eliane Charles as Solange *

Jacques Louvigny Jacques Louvigny (1884–1951) was a French stage and film actor.Hayward p.241 Selected filmography * '' Delphine'' (1931) * ''On purge bébé'' (1931) * ''Fanfare of Love'' (1935) * ''The Lover of Madame Vidal'' (1936) * ''Hôtel du Nord'' (1938 ...

as Firmin - le valet *

Alexandre Mathillon Alexandre may refer to: * Alexandre (given name) * Alexandre (surname) * Alexandre (film) See also * Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom o ...

as Dubois * Yves Deniaud as Jules Furet - un cambrioleur *

Harry-Max Harry-Max (born Maxime Louis Charles Dichamp; 23 November 1901 – 13 March 1979) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than eighty films from 1938 to 1975. Filmography References External links * 1901 births 1979 deaths ...

as Monsieur Dubois - l'entomologiste *

Louis Florencie Louis Florencie (4 December 1896 – 4 December 1951) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1927 and 1951. Selected filmography * ''Companion Wanted'' (1932) * ''Beauty Spot (film), Beauty Spot'' (1932) * ''Suza ...

as Monsieur Georges *

Bernard Lajarrige Bernard La Jarrige (25 February 1912 – 29 May 1999) was a French film and television actor.Paietta p.17 His name is sometimes written as Bernard Lajarrige. Selected filmography * '' Orage'' (1938) - Un copain (uncredited) * ''La cité des lumi ...

as Albert Furet - un cambrioleur

References

Bibliography

* Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. ''Histoire du cinéma français: encyclopédie des films, 1940–1950''. Pygmalion, 1986 * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1947 films French comedy films 1947 comedy films 1940s French-language films Films directed by André Berthomieu French black-and-white films 1940s French films Films shot at Francoeur Studios Pathé films Films scored by Georges Van Parys {{1940s-France-film-stub