''L'affaire est dans le sac'' (English: ''It's in the Bag'') is a 1932 French comedy film, directed by

Pierre Prévert Pierre Prévert (26 May 1906 – 5 April 1988) was a French film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is the brother of Jacques Prévert, who is the subject of his documentary '' Mon frère Jacques''. He is the father of screenwriter Catherine ...

and written by his more famous brother, poet and screenwriter Jacques Prévert, based on a script by Ákos Ráthonyi. It was Pierre Prévert's directional debut. While not a box office success at the time, it's nowadays considered a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

.Crisp, Colin (29 June 2015)
"French Cinema—A Critical Filmography: Volume 1, 1929–1939"
Indiana University Press – via Google Books.

Plot

The plot involves a kidnapping. A

hatter Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...

, Benjamin Déboisé, with an accomplice, undertakes to kidnap the son of Hollister, a millionaire, abducting him in a bag. However, they mistakenly kidnap Hollister himself instead. Hollister, bored with life, is actually delighted to be involved in the adventure, while Hollister's daughter and a second accomplice fall in love, and Déboisé eventually disappears with the ransom.

Cast

Étienne Decroux played the kidnapper Benjamin Déboisé. Other actors included a young

Jean-Paul Le Chanois Jean-Paul Étienne Dreyfus, better known as Jean-Paul Le Chanois (25 October 1909 – 8 July 1985), was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. His film '' ...Sans laisser d'adresse'' won the Golden Bear (Comedies) award at the 1st ...

(billed as Jean-Paul Dreyfus),

Julien Carette Julien Henri Carette (23 December 1897 – 20 July 1966) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1964. Selected filmography * '' American Love'' (1931) * ''George and Georgette'' (1934) * ''My Heart Is ...

Philippe Richard Philippe Richard (24 June 1891 – 24 December 1973) was a French film and theater actor. Richard was born in Saint-Étienne and began his film career in the early 1920s in silent film. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under S ...

Anthony Gildès Anthony Gildès (13 August 1856 – 6 October 1941) was a French actor. Anthony Gildès was born Anatole Gleizes in Metz, France. He died in Paris at age 85. Selected filmography * '' The Zone of Death'' (1917) * '' The Torture of Silence'' (191 ...

, and

Jacques Brunius __NOTOC__ Jacques B. Brunius (born Jacques Henri Cottance, 16 September 1906 – 24 April 1967) was a French actor, director and writer, who was born in Paris and died in Exeter, UK. He was cremated in Sidmouth, with a tribute by Mesens. Assista ...

. Future screenwriter Louis Chavance appears as a passer-by.

Production

The film was produced by Pathé Distribution and was shot in eight days on a limited budget at the Pathé-Natan studios in

Joinville-le-Pont Joinville-le-Pont () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History The commune was created in 1791 under the name La Branche-du-Pont-de-Saint-Maur (literally "The Branch of Saint-Maur ...

. It premiered in France on 25 November 1932 and was not a success, although it went on to become something of a cult film. At the time the film was made, Jaques Prévert had just formed October Group, a left wing agitprop troupe, and many of the film's technicians and some of the actors became involved with that group.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Affaire Est Dans Le Sac French crime comedy films French black-and-white films 1930s French-language films 1932 films Films about kidnapping Films directed by Pierre Prévert 1930s crime comedy films 1932 comedy films Pathé films 1930s French films