''Good Luck'' (French: ''Bonne chance!'') is a 1935 French

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follow ...

and

Fernand Rivers Fernand Rivers (born François Large, 6 September 1879, Saint-Lager - 12 September 1960) was a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He was the brother of the actor Rivers Cadet. Partial filmography Director * '' The Ironmaster' ...

and starring Guitry,

Jacqueline Delubac Jacqueline Delubac (1907–1997) was a French stage and film actress.Williams p.158 She was married to Sacha Guitry and appeared in a number of his productions on both stage and screen. Selected filmography * '' Let's Get Married'' (1931) * '' T ...

and Pauline Carton. In it a woman becomes convinced a man she has met is a good luck charm after she wins a lottery. 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 ...

and on location in

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 ...

and

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. 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 ...

Robert Gys Robert Gys (1901–1977) was a French art director.O'Shaughnessy p.238 Selected filmography * '' Imperial Violets'' (1924) * ''The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge'' (1925) * ''Miss Europe'' (1930) * ''Dance Hall'' (1931) * '' The Dream'' (1931) * '' ...

. In 1940 it was remade as an American film '' Lucky Partners'' starring

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...

and Ginger Rogers.

Cast

as Claude *

as Marie * Pauline Carton as La mère de Marie *

Paul Dullac Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

as Le maire de Marie * Montel as Un vieux monsieur qui passe * André Numès Fils as Prosper * Rivers Cadet as Le greffier *

Robert Darthez The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

as Gastion Lepeltier *

Andrée Guize Andrée or Andree may refer to: People * Andrée (given name) * Andree (surname) Places * Andree, Minnesota, unincorporated community in Stanchfield Township, Isanti County, Minnesota * 1296 Andrée, asteroid * Andrée Land (Svalbard) * Andrée La ...

as Henriette Lepeltier * Lucienne Givry as L'élégante * Simone Sandre as L'épicière *

Madeleine Suffel Madeleine Suffel (1899–1974) was a French film and stage actress.Palmer & Michael p.274 She played supporting roles in a number of films from the early 1930s onwards. Selected filmography * ''A Rare Bird'' (1935) * '' School for Coquettes'' (19 ...

as La gantière *

Antoine Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

as Antoine, le coiffeur *

Louis Baldy Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

as L'employé de banque *

Renée Dennsy Renée (without the accent in non-French speaking countries) is a French/Latin feminine given name. Renée is the female form of René, with the extra –e making it feminine according to French grammar. The name Renée is the French form of t ...

as Une radeuse *

Gustave Huberdeau Gustave Huberdeau (10 May 1874 – 31 May 1945) was a French operatic bass-baritone who had a prolific career in Europe and the United States during the first quarter of the twentieth century. He sang a wide repertoire encompassing material from ...

* Régine Paris * Robert Seller as Le maître d'hôtel *

Louis Vonelly Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

as Le marchand de tableaux

Critical reception

Writing for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' in 1936,

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

gave the film a good review, describing it as "a charming silly film in the Clair genre, a lyrical absurdity". Greene notes that it is only cinema and music that can produce such uplifting transience and joy. (reprinted in: )

References

Bibliography

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

External links

* 1935 romantic comedy films French romantic comedy films 1935 films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Sacha Guitry Films directed by Fernand Rivers Films shot at Billancourt Studios French black-and-white films 1930s French films {{1930s-France-film-stub