''Paris Frills'' (french: Falbalas) is a 1945 French drama film directed by

Jacques Becker Jacques Becker (; 15 September 1906 – 21 February 1960) was a French film director and screenwriter. His films, made during the 1940s and 1950s, encompassed a wide variety of genres, and they were admired by some of the filmmakers who led th ...

and starring

Raymond Rouleau Raymond Rouleau (4 June 1904 – 11 December 1981) was a Belgian actor and film director. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1928 and 1979. He also directed 22 films between 1932 and 1981. Rouleau studied at the Royal Conservatory of B ...

Micheline Presle Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...

and

Jean Chevrier Jean Chevrier (25 April 1915 – 13 December 1975) was a French film actor and member of the Comédie-Française. He appeared in 50 films between 1936 and 1972. He was married to actress Marie Bell. At the end of his life, he was known as J ...

. It was made in 1944 during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

but not released until the following year. 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 ...

Max Douy Max Douy (June 20, 1913 – July 2, 2007) was a French art director.Hayward p.245 Selected filmography * '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) * '' There's No Tomorrow'' (1939) * ''The Trump Card'' (1942) * ''Goodbye Leonard'' (1943) * '' Paris Frill ...

. It was shot at the

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 ...

. Exteriors were shot in the

16th arrondissement of Paris The 16th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''seizième''. The arrondissement includes part of the Arc de T ...

Plot

Micheline (

), a young woman from the provinces, arrives in Paris to prepare for her marriage to a silk manufacturer from

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, Daniel Rousseau (

). But she falls in love with the best friend of her husband-to-be, the fashion designer Philippe Clarence (

). He is an impenitent Don Juan who seduces her when he feels the need for some creative inspiration and then drops her just as quickly when he comes to devote himself to a new collection. Micheline no longer feels she can go ahead and get married. A few weeks later Clarence tries to reconquer her but it is too late. She refuses. Clarence goes mad and throws himself from a window.

Main cast

as Philippe Clarence *

as Micheline Lafaurie *

as Daniel Rousseau *

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 ...

as Solange *

Jeanne Fusier-Gir Jeanne Fusier-Gir (1885–1973) was a French stage and film actress. She was married to the painter Charles Gir, and was the mother of the film director François Gir.Rège p. 442 Selected filmography * '' The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard'' (192 ...

as Paulette *

Françoise Lugagne Françoise Lugagne (1914–1991) was a French stage actor, stage, film actor, film and television actress. She was married to the Belgian actor Raymond Rouleau and appeared alongside him in the 1945 fashion house drama ''Paris Frills'' as his spur ...

as Anne-Marie *

Christiane Barry Christiane Fernande Boursaud (1918–1992) was a French stage and film actress.Cowie p.34 Selected filmography * '' Paris Frills'' (1945) * '' Mademoiselle Has Fun'' (1948) * '' The Last Vacation'' (1948) * '' Two Loves'' (1949) * ''Scandal on th ...

as Lucienne *

Rosine Luguet Rosine Luguet (1921–1981) was a French stage and film actress.Paietta p.150 She was the daughter of the actor André Luguet. Selected filmography * ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) * '' The Benefactor'' (1942) * '' Annette and the Blonde Woman'' ...

as Cousin * Yolande Bloin *

Eveline Volney Eveline may refer to: * Eveline (given name) * Eveline (short story), "Eveline" (short story), a short story by James Joyce * Eveline, Missouri, United States * Eveline Street, in Windhoek, Namibia * Eveline Township, Michigan, United States See a ...

as Employee * Maria Carld *

François Joux François Joux (born 11 July 1912, date of death unknown) was a French stage and film actor.Paietta p.15 Selected filmography * ''The Pavilion Burns'' (1941) * '' The Duchess of Langeais'' (1942) * '' The Trump Card'' (1942) * ''Paris Frills'' ( ...

as Murier * Georges Roullet * Marc Doelnitz as Cousin

Influence

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs inc ...

told the

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * ''The New ...

that seeing ''Falbalas'' made him want to go into fashion. The story, about a Parisian dressmaker who seduces his best friend's fiancée, provided a detailed look at the fashion industry of the time, and shaped Gaultier's ideas of what that world would be like.Article on Jean-Paul Gaultier i
''Business Insider''
1 February 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.

References

External links

* 1945 drama films 1945 films Films directed by Jacques Becker French drama films Films set in Paris 1940s French-language films Films about fashion designers French black-and-white films Films shot at Francoeur Studios 1940s French films {{1940s-drama-film-stub