''His Excellency Antonin'' (French: ''Son excellence Antonin'') is a 1935 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

Charles-Félix Tavano Charles-Félix Tavano (19 April 1887 – 29 May 1963) was a French film director as well as a screenwriter. Filmography Director * 1931: ''Deux fois vingt ans'' * 1932: ''Arrêtez-moi!'' * 1932: ''Un client de province'' * 1932: '' Billeting ...

and starring Raymond Cordy,

Josette Day Josette Day (Paris, July 31, 1914 – Paris, June 27, 1978) was a French film actress. Born Josette Noële Andrée Claire Dagory, she began her career as a child actress in 1919 at the age of five. When she was 18, Day was the mistress of Paul M ...

and

Robert Pizani Robert Pizani (26 April 1896 – 17 June 1965) was a French stage and film actor whose 45-year career encompassed leading roles in numerous plays, revues and operettas as well as dozens of films. In operetta Pizani's roles in operetta and musica ...

. Crisp p.405 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) * '' ...

Synopsis

Antonin, a lowly

dishwasher A dishwasher is a machine that is used to clean dishware, cookware, and cutlery automatically. Unlike manual dishwashing, which relies heavily on physical scrubbing to remove soiling, the mechanical dishwasher cleans by spraying hot water, ...

working at a grand hotel, wins seven million

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

on the

lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

. Suddenly he is feted by his colleagues and his manager throws a party in his honour and wishes him to marry his daughter. A

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

staying at the hotel educates Antonin in stylish manners. Three different people claim to be Antonin's long-lost father in order to get a share of the money. In despair, Antonin announces he has lost the ticket. At once his new friends all abandon him and only Betty a

maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

at the hotel stays with him.

Cast

* Raymond Cordy as Antonin *

as Betty *

as le baron *

André Berley André Berley (13 January 1890 – 26 November 1936) was a French actor. Berley was born André Edmond Obrecht in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Selected filmography * ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (1928) * '' Olimpia'' (1930) * '' The ...

as le propriétaire de l'hôtel *

Jeanne Helbling Jeanne Helbling (July 26, 1903 – August 6, 1985) was a French film actressGoble p.37 and a prominent member of the French Resistance during World War II. Selected filmography * ''The Thruster'' (1924) * '' Mandrin'' (1924) * '' Captain Rascas ...

as l'intrigante * Thérèse Kolb as la mère *

Germaine Reuver Germaine Reuver (1885–1953) was a French stage and film actress.Goble p.18 Selected filmography * '' Miss Helyett'' (1933) * '' Lake of Ladies'' (1934) * '' Inspector of the Red Cars'' (1935) * '' Madame Angot's Daughter'' (1935) * '' Caprices' ...

as la patronne *

Sylvia Bataille Sylvia Bataille (born Sylvia Maklès; 1 November 1908 – 22 December 1993) was a French actress of Romanian-Jewish descent. When she was twenty, she married the writer Georges Bataille with whom she had a daughter, the psychoanalyst Laurence Bata ...

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. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1935 films French comedy films 1935 comedy films 1930s French-language films French black-and-white films 1930s French films Films directed by Charles-Félix Tavano Pathé films Films scored by Vincent Scotto {{1930s-France-film-stub