''Mother Love'' (French: ''La chaleur du sein'') is a 1938 French

comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by Jean Boyer and starring

Michel Simon Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss-French actor. He appeared in many notable French films, including ''La Chienne'' (1931), ''Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932), ''L'Atalante'' (1934), '' Port of Shadows'' (1938), '' The H ...

Arletty Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat (15 May 1898 – 23 July 1992), known professionally as Arletty, was a French actress, singer, and fashion model. As an actress she is particularly known for classics directed by Marcel Carné, including '' Hotel du N ...

and

Gabrielle Dorziat Gabrielle Dorziat (1880–1979) was a French stage and film actress. Dorziat was a fashion trend setter in Paris and helped popularize the designs of Coco Chanel. The Théâtre Gabrielle-Dorziat in Épernay, France is named for her. Biography S ...

.The A to Z of French Cinema p.396 It was based on a play by

André Birabeau André Birabeau (6 December 1890 – 1 October 1974) was a French novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Novels and short stories * ''La débauche'' (1924), English trans. ''Revelation'' (1930). Cited as the first novel about a homosexual man f ...

. It was shot at

Pathe Pathe or Pathé may refer to: * Pathé, a French company established in 1896 * Pathé Exchange, U.S. division of the French film company that was spun off into an independent entity * Pathé News, a French and British distributor of cinema news ...

Francoeur Studios The Francoeur Studios are film production studios in Paris. In 1926 Bernard Natan's Rapid Films set up production at the location, before in 1929 it was merged with the Pathé conglomerate under Natan's overall control. In the postwar era it wa ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

Jacques Colombier Jacques Colombier is a French politician and a member of National Front (France), National Front. As the FN's top candidate in Aquitaine in the 2004 French regional elections, 2004 regional elections he won 11.45% of the votes in the first round ...

Synopsis

The eighteen-year-old son of a celebrated, widowed

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

attempts to commit suicide while his father is away on an expedition in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

due to being spurned by a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

performer. His three prospective

stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a non-biological female parent married to one's preexisting parent. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. Culture Ste ...

s all gather at his bedside, each demonstrating a possessive attitude.

Cast

as Michel Quercy *

as Bernadette Mezin *

as Adrienne *

Pierre Larquey Pierre Larquey (10 July 1884 – 17 April 1962) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1913 and 1962. Born in Cénac, Gironde, France, he died in Maisons-Laffitte at the age of 77. Selected filmography * ''Patr ...

as Raoul Dalaciaud - le patron de Gilbert *

Jean Pâqui 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 Gilbert Quercy *

Jeanne Lion Jeanne Lion, or Jeanne Léonnec, (17 August 1876 – 24 December 1956) was a French stage and film actress. Filmography * 1926 : '' Jim la houlette, roi des voleurs'' as the servant * 1933 : ''Pas besoin d'argent'' * 1934 : '' La Flambée'' ...

as Mathilde *

Jane Loury Jeanne Loury or Jane Loury (1876–1951) was a French stage and film actress.Goble p.199 Selected filmography * '' My Aunt from Honfleur'' (1923) * '' House in the Sun'' (1929) * ''All That's Not Worth Love'' (1931) * '' A Son from America'' (1 ...

as Augustine *

Monique Joyce Monique Joyce (1912–1994) was a French model, singer and actress.Burch & Sellier p.157 She began her career appearing in Opéra comique. After winning the Mademoiselle Paris contest in March 1933 she received greater public attention and made h ...

as Joan Bouvreuil *

Gisèle Préville Gisèle Préville (1918–2006) was a French film actress and beauty contestant. She entered the film industry after being crowned Miss Paris in 1934 and Miss France in 1935. While she mainly featured in French films, she also starred in the Brit ...

as La jeune fille *

Andrée Prévot 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 L ...

as La jolie passagère *

Henri Vilbert Henri Vilbert (6 April 1904 – 20 April 1997) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films from 1921 to 1982. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilbert, Henri 1904 births 1997 deaths 20th- ...

as Le barman du paquebot *

François Périer François Périer (born François Pillu; 10 November 1919 – 29 June 2002), was a French actor renowned for his expressiveness and diversity of roles. He made over 110 film and TV appearances between 1938 and 1996, with notable excursion into ...

as Batilly *

Marguerite Moreno Marguerite Moreno (born Lucie Marie Marguerite Monceau; 15 September 1871, Paris - 14 July 1948, Touzac, Lot) was a French stage and film actress. On 12 September 1900, in England, she married the writer Marcel Schwob, whom she had met in 189 ...

as L'Américaine sur le paquebot

References

Bibliography

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

External links

* 1938 films French drama films 1938 drama films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Jean Boyer Films shot at Francoeur Studios 1930s French films {{1930s-France-film-stub fr:La chaleur du sein