''Gaspard de Besse'' is a 1935 French

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by

André Hugon André Hugon (17 December 1886 – 22 August 1960) was a French film director, screenwriter and film producer best known for his silent films from 1913 onwards, particularly of the 1920s and into sound. Hugon was born in Algiers in 1886 wh ...

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 ...

Antonin Berval Antonin Berval (1891–1966) was a French film actor.Goble p.4 He is sometimes credited simply as Berval. Selected filmography * ''Notre Dame d'amour'' (1923) * ''Arthur'' (1931) - Hubert de Fondragon * ''Le costaud des PTT'' (1931) * ''To the P ...

and Nicole Vattier. It is an adaptation of the 1919 novel of the same title by

Jean Aicard Jean François Victor Aicard (4 February 1848 – 13 May 1921) was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist. Biography He was born in Toulon. His father, Jean Aicard, was a journalist of some distinction, and the son began his career in 1867 wit ...

. It is inspired by a historical figure active as a "

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

" in pre-

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

.Temple & Witt p.115

Synopsis

After his father loses his house and possessions to a

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

and is then murdered, Gaspard becomes an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

with his faithful sidekick Samplan. Their raids on the wealthy develop them a popular following in the countryside. However, both men ultimately come to a tragic end at the hands of the authorities.

Cast

as Samplan *

as Gaspard * Nicole Vattier as Thérèse *

Milly Mathis Milly Mathis (September 8, 1901 – March 30, 1965) was a French actress who appeared in more than 100 films during her career. Born on September 8, 1901, as Emilienne Pauline Tomasini in Marseilles, France, she made her film debut with a small, ...

as Toinon *

Janine Borelli Janine may refer to: People and characters * Janine (given name) Music * "Janine" (David Bowie song), a 1969 song by David Bowie * "Janine", a 1979 song by Trooper from the album '' Flying Colors'' * "Janine", a 1994 song by Soul Coughing f ...

as La voyageuse *

Jacqueline Laurent Jacqueline Laurent (6 August 1918 – 18 December 2009) was a French film actress. She starred with Jean Gabin in Marcel Carné's ''Le jour se lève'' (1939). Early years Laurent was the daughter of Jacques Janin, a composer whose compositio ...

as La fille du geôlier *

Antoine Balpêtré Antoine Balpêtré (3 May 1898 – 28 March 1963) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1933 and 1963. Partial filmography * '' The Agony of the Eagles'' (1933) - Le commandant Thiéry * '' The House ...

as Cabasse *

Pierre Feuillère Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

as Séraphin Cocarel *

Robert Vattier Robert Vattier (2 October 1906 – 9 December 1982) was a French actor. He was the father of the comedic actress Bérangère Vattier. Selected filmography * '' Marius'' (1931) - Albert Brun * '' Fanny'' (1932) - Albert Brun * ''Vers l'abîme ...

as La Griffe *

Pierre Juvenet Pierre Juvenet (1883–1951) was a French stage and film actor.Powrie p.231 A character actor, he appeared in more than a hundred films frequently portraying officials and authority figures. Selected filmography * ''The Mystery of the Yellow Ro ...

as Le juge des Saquetes *

Paul Amiot Paul Amiot (29 March 1886 – 26 January 1979) was a French film actor. His career spanned some 63 years and he appeared in nearly 100 films between 1910 and 1973. In 1920 he appeared in Robert Péguy's ''Être aimé pour soi-même''. He was ...

as Le juge Cocarel *

Lucien Brulé Lucien is a male given name. It is the French form of Luciano or Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of Lucius. Lucien, Saint Lucien, or Saint-Lucien may also refer to: People Given name * Lucien of Beauvais, Christian saint *Lucien, a band member ...

as Le président Marin *

Georges Dorival Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 1977 ...

as Mirabeau *

Jean Joffre Jean Joffre (1872–1944) often styled simply as Joffre was a French film actor, film and stage actor. Crisp p.192 A character actor he played a variety of supporting roles in theatre and the cinema during his career. His final screen appearance w ...

as Maître Vincent *

Gaston Dubosc Gaston Dubosc (1861–1941) was a French stage and film actor.Goble p.38 Selected filmography * '' A Gentleman of the Ring'' (1932) * '' A Son from America'' (1932) * ''The Red Robe'' (1933) * ''Once Upon a Time'' (1933) * '' A Day Will Come'' (1 ...

as Maître Bouis *

Armand Larcher Armand refer to: People * Armand (name), list of people with this name *Armand (photographer) (1901–1963), Armenian photographer *Armand (singer) (1946–2015), Dutch protest singer *Sean Armand (born 1991), American basketball player *Armand, ...

as Pistolet *

Marcel Maupi Marcel Maupi, stage name of Marcel Louis Alexandre Barberin or Maupi, (6 November 1881, Marseille – 4 January 1949, Antibes) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''Dance Hall'' (1931) * '' Marius'' (1931) * '' Fanny'' (1932) * '' The Iron ...

as Tirebouchon * Dalquier as Bedaine *

Fernand Flament Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (1885 ...

as Le brigadier *

Frédéric Mariotti Frédéric Mariotti (1 April 1883 – 22 February 1971) was a French stage and film actor whose career spanned more than four decades through the early silent film era into the early 1950s. Biography Frédéric Mariotti was born in Marseille an ...

as Morillon

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009. * Temple, Michael & Witt, Michael (ed.) ''The French Cinema Book''. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.

External links

* 1935 films 1935 adventure films French adventure films French historical films 1930s historical films 1930s French-language films Films directed by André Hugon French black-and-white films 1930s French films Films set in the 18th century Films set in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Films based on French novels {{1930s-France-film-stub