''Strange Inheritance'' or ''The Traveller on All Saints' Day'' (French: ''Le voyageur de la Toussaint'', Italian: ''Il viaggiatore d'Ognissanti'') is a 1943 French-Italian

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by Louis Daquin and starring

Assia Noris Assia Noris (16 February 1912 – 27 January 1998) was a Russian-Italian film actress. Born Anastasia Noris fon Gerzfeld (Anastassia Noris von Herzfeld), she appeared in over 35 films between 1932 and 1965. She starred in films such as the Ma ...

Jules Berry Jules Berry (born Marie Louis Jules Paufichet; 9 February 1883 – 23 April 1951) was a French actor. Biography Early life Berry and his two brothers were born to parents who sold hardware and settled in Poitou. The family moved to Paris in 188 ...

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 ...

and

Guillaume de Sax Guillaume de Sax (1889–1945) was a Belgian actor. De Sax was born Guillaume Henri Robert de Segur Lamoignon in Belgium and died in France. He was married to the actress Cécile Sorel. Partial filmography * '' Ernest the Rebel'' (1938) * '' Thr ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1941 novel of the same title by

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

René Moulaert René Moulaert (1901–1965) was a Belgian art director who worked on designing stage and film sets.Thys p.316 Selected filmography * '' The Marriage of Mademoiselle Beulemans'' (1932) * '' Strange Inheritance'' (1943) * '' Night Shift'' (1944) ...

. It was made as a co-production between

Occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

and Fascist Italy.Chiti & Poppi p.406

Synopsis

On a misty November day a young man makes a returns to his hometown of

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

following the death of his Uncle, who has left him his entire fortune. He finds his upper-class family resent him because his parents were both music hall entertainers. He begins to investigate the circumstances of his uncle's suspicious death.

Cast

as Colette Mauvoisin *

as Plantel *

as Gérardine Éloi *

as Babin *

Jean Desailly Jean Desailly (24 August 1920 – 11 June 2008) was a French actor. He was a member of the Comédie-Française from 1942 to 1946, and later participated in about 90 movies. Life and career Desailly studied at the École nationale supérieure des ...

as Gilles Mauvoisin *

Simone Valère Simone Valère (2 August 1923 – 11 November 2010) was a French actress. She appeared in more than forty films from 1941 to 1993. Filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Valere, Simone 1923 births 2010 deaths Actresses from Pa ...

as Alice Lepart *

Serge Reggiani Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-French actor and singer. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. After studying acting at the Conservatoire des arts cinématogr ...

as Bob Éloi * Hubert Prélier as Le docteur Sauvaget * Jacques Castelot as Jean Plantel *

Jean Didier 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 Le marin * Martial Rèbe as Lepart * Eugène Yvernès as Le capitaine du navire *

Mona Dol Mona Dol (28 May 1901 – 29 December 1990) was a French actress. Born Amélie Alice Gabrielle Delbart in Lille, she died in Paris in 1990. Selected filmography * ''Lucrezia Borgia'' (1935) * '' The Gardens of Murcia'' (1936) * '' Madame San ...

as Jaja * Marguerite Ducouret as Madame Rinquet * Marie-Hélène Dasté as Madame Sauvaget * Christiane Ribes as Armandine * Ginette Curtey as Raymonde *

Alexandre Rignault Alexandre Rignault (14 February 1901 – 2 April 1985) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films between 1931 and 1985. Selected filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rignault, Alexandre 1901 births 1985 deaths ...

as L'inspecteur Rinquet *

Louis Seigner Louis Seigner (23 June 1903 – 20 January 1991) was a French actor. He was born in Saint-Chef, Isère, France, the son of Louise (Monin) and Joseph Seigner, and died in Paris. He was the father of actress Françoise Seigner, with Marie Cazeaux, ...

as Maître Hervineau *

Roger Karl Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

as Pénoux-Rataud * Guy Decomble as Robert *

René Blancard René Blancard (12 March 1897 – 5 November 1965) was a French film actor. He appeared in 80 films between 1922 and 1965. Selected filmography * '' The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) - Bras-Rouge * ''Montmartre'' (1925) - Frédéric Charanç ...

as Le directeur du théâtre *

Jean Daurand Jean Daurand (1913–1989) was a French actor. He starred in ''La Nuit Merveilleuse'' and ''Derrière la Facade''. Selected filmography * ''Rothchild'' (1933) * ''Le secret d'une nuit'' (1934) * ''Pension Mimosas'' (1935) - Un groom (uncredit ...

as Un marin * Clary Monthal as Madame Lepart *

Albert Rémy Albert Rémy (9 April 1921 – 26 January 1967) was a French actor best known for his supporting roles in François Truffaut's first two feature films. He played Antoine Doinel's father in ''The 400 Blows'' and Charlie Koller's (Charles Aznavo ...

as L'ivrogne *

Marcel Duhamel Marcel Duhamel (16 July 1900 in Paris – 6 March 1977 in Saint-Laurent-du-Var) was a French actor and screenwriter, founder of the Série noire publishing imprint. He played The Foreman in Jean Renoir's 1936 ''The Crime of Monsieur Lange''. ...

as Le juge d'instruction *

Gabrielle Fontan Gabrielle Fontan (16 April 1873 – 8 September 1959) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 120 films between 1927 and 1959. Selected filmography * '' Misdeal'' (1928) * '' The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard'' (1929) * '' The La ...

as La vieille aubergiste * Léon Larive as Le patron du restaurant * Marguerite de Morlaye as Une invitée du banquet *

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

as Extra

References

Bibliography

* Carter, David. ''The Pocket Essential Georges Simenon''. Pocket Essentials, 2003. * Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto. ''I film: Tutti i film italiani dal 1930 al 1944''. Gremese Editore, 2005. * Moliterno, Gino. ''Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2008.

External links

* 1943 films 1943 mystery films 1940s French-language films Films based on Belgian novels Films based on works by Georges Simenon Films directed by Louis Daquin French black-and-white films French mystery films Italian mystery films Films set in La Rochelle 1940s French films 1940s Italian films {{mystery-film-stub