''Francis the First'' (French: ''François Premier'') is a 1937 French historical

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 Christian-Jaque and starring

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 t ...

, Mona Goya and

Alexandre Rignault Alexandre Rignault (14 February 1901 – 2 April 1985) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films between 1931 and 1985. Selected filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rignault, Alexandre 1901 births 1985 deaths ...

.Rège p.220 It was shot at the

Cité Elgé Cité Elgé were French film studios located in Paris. They were constructed in 1905 in the Buttes-Chaumont area of the city by the Gaumont Film Company The Gaumont Film Company (, ), often shortened to Gaumont, is a French film studio headq ...

studios in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Pierre Schild Pierre Schild (1897–1968) was a Russian Empire-born art director known for his work in French and Spanish cinema. Born Lakka Schildknecht, he left Russia following the October Revolution in 1917. Following the German invasion of France in 1940 h ...

Synopsis

Honorin is the stage manager at a theatre featuring a play set during the reign of

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

. When an actor is indisposed, he has to step into his role and suffers badly from

stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

. A colleague attempts to use hypnotism to calm his nerves, but instead he falls into a trance and transported several hundred years back in time. Knowing what is to come, he is able to predict the future, which soon leads to accusations of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

Cast

as Honorin * Mona Goya as Elsa / Madeleine Ferron *

as Henri VIII * Henri Bosc as Luigi Cascaroni / Jean Ferron * Aimé Simon-Girard as François 1er *

Alice Tissot Alice Tissot (1 January 1890 – 5 May 1971) was a French actress. Partial filmography * ''Poum à la chasse'' (1908) * ''Le devoir'' (1908) * ' (1909) * ' (1909) * '' The Two Girls'' (1921) * '' A Son from America'' (1924) * '' Captain Rasca ...

as Madame Cascaroni / Dame Alfredine *

Charles Lemontier Charles Lemontier (1894–1965) was a French film actor.Aping p.76 Selected filmography * ''Street Without a Name'' (1934) * ''Judex'' (1934) * ''Crime and Punishment'' (1935) * '' Rigolboche'' (1936) * '' You Can't Fool Antoinette'' (1936) * '' ...

as La Palice *

Alexandre Mihalesco Alexandre Mihalesco (; born Alexandru Mihăilescu, ; 19 October 1883 – 28 December 1974) was a Romanian film actor who largely appeared in French productions.Goble p.2 Selected filmography * ''The Independence of Romania'' (1912) * ''On the W ...

as Cagliostro * Jean Sinoël as Le Fantôme *

René Génin René Génin (25 January 1890 – 24 October 1967) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1931 and 1965. Selected filmography * ''The Brighton Twins'' (1936) * ''27 Rue de la Paix'' (1936) * '' Nights ...

as Cascaroni / L'aubergiste *

Henri Valbel Henri Valbel (1885–1956) was a French film actor.Goble p.121 Selected filmography * '' Simone'' (1918) * '' Madonna of the Sleeping Cars'' (1928) * ''The Divine Voyage'' (1929) * '' The Tunnel'' (1933) * '' Forces occultes'' (1943) * ''Girl with ...

as Le Padre * Paul Delon as Duc de Montmorency *

Jean Marconi Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

as Lautrec *

Nicolas Amato Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

as Le Chevalier Bayard * Jacques Vitry as Le Héraut * Jeanne Lamy as Duchesse de Montmorency * Claire Saint-Hilaire as Madame de Monchenut

References

Bibliography

* Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. ''Histoire du cinéma français: 1935-1939''. Pygmalion, 1986. * Crisp, Colin. ''Genre, Myth and Convention in the French Cinema, 1929-1939''. Indiana University Press, 2002. * Oscherwitz, Dayna & Higgins, MaryEllen . ''The A to Z of French Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1937 films French comedy films 1937 comedy films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Christian-Jaque French black-and-white films 1930s French films Films set in the 16th century French historical films 1930s historical films Films scored by René Sylviano {{1930s-France-film-stub