''The Lame Devil'' (UK: ''The Devil Who Limped'';Tertiary sources: BFI, ''The Lame Devil''. original title: ', French for "the devil with a limp") is a 1948 French black-and-white
historical film
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...
written and directed by Sacha Guitry. A biography of the titular French diplomat Talleyrand (1754–1838), it stars Guitry in the lead role. Originally forbidden by the French censor and turned into a play, the film went on to be released into six languages.
Film
Description
The film is a 125-minute, black-and-white biography of French priest and diplomat
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (, ; 2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838), 1st Prince of Benevento, then Prince of Talleyrand, was a French clergyman, politician and leading diplomat. After studying theology, he became Agent-General of the ...
(1754–1838), who served for 50 years under five different French regimes: the Absolute Monarchy, the Revolution, the Consulate, the Empire, and the Constitutional Monarchy. Its title comes from one of the main historical nicknames for Talleyrand, that he shares with demon king
Asmodeus
Asmodeus (; grc, Ἀσμοδαῖος, ''Asmodaios'') or Ashmedai (; he, אַשְמְדּאָי, ''ʾAšmədʾāy''; see below for other variations), is a ''prince of demons'' and hell."Asmodeus" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chica ...
and English poet
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
.
The movie is often noted for its opening sequence: after showing the birthplace of Talleyrand as it became in then-contemporary 1948
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 ...
, it moves to a bookstore window showcasing his main biographies, including a copy of Guitry's own ''Le Diable boiteux'' that creates a ''
mise en abyme
In Western art history, ''mise en abyme'' (; also ''mise en abîme'') is a formal technique of placing a copy of an image within itself, often in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence. In film theory and literary theory, it refers t ...
''.
The film then sketches Talleyrand through a dozen episodes and anecdotes, both from his public life as a politician and his private side as a womanizer. Guitry explained that he peppered the dialogues with "a very great number"Primary sources: Guitry 1948, ''Le Diable boiteux''. of quotes from most historical figures depicted.
Production
Under French law, a film has to be presented to the Censorship Board (') in order to obtain a French film-license (). During the
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic (french: Quatrième république française) was the Republicanism, republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of ...
(1946–1958), post-war regulations mandated that a movie script be submitted for approval even before filming.
As explained by Guitry in 1948, his synopsis was originally rejected by the Board: they underlined various dialogues in the script as being liable to cause public outrage. Guitry scoffed that all of them were actual quotes he had lifted from Talleyrand, Napoleon, and other historical figures, but his film being in effect forbidden, he immediately adapted it into a play, ''Talleyrand'' (1948). He then leveraged the fact that his play had received success and caused no trouble to re-submit his script to the Board, who granted its license though "without any good grace".
Reception
''Le Diable boiteux'' was originally released on 29 September 1948 in two theaters (the Marignan and the Marivaux) in Paris, France. It has since been released (dubbed or subtitled) into at least 5 other languages, being alphabetically:
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
(''The Lame Devil''),
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
(''Rampa paholainen''),
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
(''Pringips talleyrandos''),
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
(''Il diavolo zoppo''), and
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
(''Um Homem Diabólico'').
Positive or negative, critics have often considered Guitry's movie to be as much a historical biography as a plea for himself or a self-defense.Secondary sources: Cited in Savia, ''Le Diable boiteux''. Because Guitry didn't stop writing and playing during the
Nazi occupation of 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 ...
, he had been accused of collaboration with the enemy and imprisoned two months in 1944 by a self-appointed militia; released by the new government and fully discharged in 1947, he had expressed regret at the absence of a formal trial. Thus, rehabilitating the controversial Talleyrand (often considered a traitor for serving five different regimes) was seen as Guitry also trying to rehabilitate himself and strike back at those who had criticised him: on the movie's release, both a negative review by author (in ''L'Ordre'', 1948) and a positive one by author
René Barjavel
René Barjavel (24 January 1911 – 24 November 1985) was a French author, journalist and critic who may have been the first to think of the grandfather paradox in time travel. He was born in Nyons, a town in the Drôme department in southeastern ...
(in ''France Hebdomadaire'', 1948) commented on it from that standpoint. Various later reviews have discussed that aspect of the movie, from TV listings magazine ''
Télérama
''Télérama'' is a weekly French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic Desautez is dep ...
'' (1978) to author in ''
Cahiers du cinéma
''Cahiers du Cinéma'' (, ) is a French film magazine co-founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca.Itzkoff, Dave (9 February 2009''Cahiers Du Cinéma Will Continue to Publish''The New York TimesMacnab, Ge ...
'' (1988), long after the events.
According to French stage director and stage historian in his 800-page monography ''Sacha Guitry. Cent ans de théâtre et d'esprit'' (1985), translated: "The time has come to do justice to this excellent film (very coldly received, of course, by the politicized press of the time), almost always fascinating, that rehabilitates a historical figure too often maligned and brings us back the great Sacha Guitry at the top of his game as an actor and director, if not author."
Louis Beydts Louis Beydts was a French composer, music critic and theatre director, born 29 June 1895 in Bordeaux and died on 15 August 1953 at Caudéran in Gironde.
Life and career
His father was a wine-merchant who played the flute, while his mother played ...
René Renoux
René Renoux (1904–2000) was a French art director.Buache p.162
Selected filmography
* ''The Pure Truth'' (1931)
* '' Topaze'' (1933)
* '' Prince Jean'' (1934)
* '' Speak to Me of Love'' (1935)
* '' You Can't Fool Antoinette'' (1936)
* '' The ...
Lana Marconi
Lana Marconi (born Ecaterina Ileana Marcovici; 8 September 1917 in Bucharest, Romania – 8 December 1990) was a Romanian- French actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the ...
Émile Drain
Émile Drain (1890–1966) was a French actor and comedian.
In 1925, he starred as Napoleon with Gloria Swanson in '' Madame Sans-Gene''. In 1927 he played ''Napoleon'' in the Donald Crisp directed ''The Fighting Eagle''. In 1948, he appeared, a ...
as
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
Henry-Laverne
Henry Laverne (born Henri Allum; 1888 or 1890 – 4 September 1953) was a French stage and film actor; Laverne was also a comedian and humorist for a decade, as well as a singer on occasion. As an actor, he was usually billed Henry-Laverne in h ...
") as
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in e ...
(and one lackey)
*
Maurice Teynac
Maurice Teynac (1915–1992) was a French actor. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry.
In 1954 he appeared in London's West End in J.B. Priestley's poorly reviewed play ''The White Countess''.
Selected filmog ...
as
Charles X of France
Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Lou ...
(and one lackey)
*
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 ...
(billed "Philippe-Richard") as
Louis Philippe I
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...
(and one lackey)
*
Georges Spanelly
Georges Spanelly (1899–1979) was a French actor. In 1948 he starred in the film ''The Lame Devil (film), The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry.
Filmography
External links
*
French male film actors
1899 births
1979 deaths
Place of birt ...
as Count of Montrond
*
Robert Dartois
Robert Dartois (11 February 1900 – 13 January 1959) was a French actor. In 1948 he starred in the film ''The Lame Devil (film), The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry.
He was born Robert Edouard Marcel Delandres in Trouville-sur-Mer, Calvados (dep ...
Renée Devillers
Renée Devillers (1902–2000) was a French stage and film actress.Goble p.328
Selected filmography
* ''The Sweetness of Loving'' (1930)
* '' The Man of the Hour'' (1937)
* '' J'accuse!'' (1938)
* '' The Blue Veil'' (1942)
* '' Roger la Honte'' ( ...
Jeanne Fusier-Gir
Jeanne Fusier-Gir (1885–1973) was a French stage actor, 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 Bonn ...
as Marie-Thérèse Champignon (the female conspirator)
*
José Noguero
José Noguero (March 10, 1905 – March 11, 1993) was a French film and stage actor and comedian. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' directed by Sacha Guitry. He was the son of Spanish immigrants. Between 1930 and 1980 he appea ...
Maurice Escande
Maurice Escande (14 November 1892 – 10 February 1973) was a French stage and film actor. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry.
Selected filmography
*1917: ''Un vol étrange'' (Short)
*1918: '' Simone'' - Mi ...
Jean Debucourt
Jean Debucourt (19 January 1894 – 22 March 1958) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1920 and 1958.
Selected filmography
* '' The Little Thing'' (1923)
* ''Jean Chouan'' (1926)
* ''Madame Récami ...
Pierre Bertin
Pierre Victor Théophile Bertin (24 October 1891 – 13 May 1984) was a French stage and film actor. In 1948, he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry.
He was the librettist of the opéra-comique ''La Gageure imprévue ...
André Randall
André Randall (9 December 1892 – 4 July 1974) was a French screen actor. He was born André Ayaïs in Bordeaux and died at Sainte-Foy-la-Grande.
Filmography
*1919: ''The Odds Against Her'' (directed by Alexander Butler)
*1931: '' Mistigri'' ...
(billed "Randall") as Lord Grey
*
Howard Vernon
Howard Vernon (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996) was a Swiss actor. In 1961, he became a favorite actor of Spanish film director Jesús Franco and began starring in many low-budget horror and erotic films produced in Spain and France. After po ...
as
Lord Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...
*
Jacques Varennes
Jacques Varennes (6 September 1894 – 8 November 1958) was a French film actor who appeared in around seventy films during his career. He appeared in Maurice Tourneur's 1938 historical film '' The Patriot''.Waldman p.156
Selected filmography
* ...
as
General Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...
*
Maurice Schutz
Maurice Schutz (4 August 1866 – 22 March 1955) was a French film actor.
He starred in some 91 films between 1918 and 1952.
Selected filmography
* ''Quatre-vingt-treize'' (1920)
* '' Au-delà des lois humaines'' (1920)
* ''The Three Masks'' ...
as
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
*
José Torres
José ("Chegüi") Torres (May 3, 1936 – January 19, 2009) was a Puerto Rican-born American professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight division at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he d ...
Pauline Carton
Pauline Carton (4 July 1884 – 17 June 1974) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 190 films between 1907 and 1974.
Filmography
* ''La fille du Boche'' (1915)
* ''Blanchette'' (1921)
* ''La femme de nulle part'' (1922)
* '' ...
as the female chiromancer
*
Denis d'Inès
Denis d'Inès, real name Joseph-Victor-Octave Denis, (1 September 1885 - 25 October 1968) was a French actor and theatre director for some plays. He entered the Comédie-Française in 1914, was a sociétaire from 1920 to 1953, and General admin ...
as Don Basilio (in ''The Barber of Seville'')
*
Jean Piat
Jean Piat (23 September 1924 – 18 September 2018) was a French actor and writer.
Life
Piat was born in Lannoy, Nord. He enlisted in the Comédie-Française on 1 September 1947, and became a member on 1 January 1953. He left the Comédie-Fran ...
as Figaro (in ''The Barber of Seville'')
*
André Brunot
André Brunot (3 October 1879 - 6 August 1973) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than twenty films from 1910 to 1966.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunot, Andre
1879 births
1973 deaths
French male ...
as Dr. Bartolo (in ''The Barber of Seville'')
;Uncredited cast, alphabetically
* Renée Bouzy as (unspecified)
*
Georges Bréhat Georges may refer to:
Places
*Georges River, New South Wales, Australia
*Georges Quay (Dublin)
*Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Other uses
*Georges (name)
* ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas
* "Georges" (song), a 1977 ...
Anne Campion
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
Daniel Ceccaldi
Daniel Ceccaldi (25 July 1927 – 27 March 2003) was a French actor.
He was born in Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, France. The mild-mannered Daniel Ceccaldi is famous as Claude Jade's father ''Lucien Darbon'' in François Truffaut's movies ''Stolen Kis ...
as (unspecified)
*
Jane Daury
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fi ...
as a Spanish woman
*
Dominique Davray
Dominique Davray (born Marie-Louise Gournay; 27 January 1919 in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,4 ...
as (unspecified)
* as a cop
*
Philippe Derevel Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to:
* Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present)
* Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
* Prince Philippe, Coun ...
as (unspecified)
*
Bernard Dhéran
Bernard Yves Raoul Dhéran (17 June 1926 – 27 January 2013) was a French actor, who was active in film, television and theatre in a career spanning over six decades. Dhéran was well remembered in French cinema's as the French dub of David Niv ...
as Almaviva (in ''The Barber of Seville'')
* as Rosine
*
Robert Favart
Marc Robert Favart (9 February 1911 – 26 July 2003) was a French actor, married to Jenny Carré, daughter of Albert Carré.
Filmography Cinema
* 1938: ' (by Jean de Limur)
* 1939: ''Angelica'' or ''La rose de sang'' (by Jean Choux)
* 194 ...
Catherine Fonteney
Catherine Fonteney (23 June 1879– 29 April 1966) was a French film actress.Goble p.386
Catherine Fonteney was born Marie Alexandrine Catherine Fontaine in Paris and died in Dijon.
Selected filmography
* '' Romain Kalbris'' (1923)
* '' The Sec ...
as Princess of Chalais
* as the lady's companion
*
Robert Hossein
Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 – 31 December 2020) was a French film actor, director, and writer. He directed the 1982 adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and appeared in '' Vice and Virtue'', '' Le Casse'', '' Les Uns et les Autres'' and '' ...
Prince of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias ( es, link=no, Príncipe/Princesa de Asturias; ast, Príncipe d'Asturies) is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, throne of Spain. According to the Sp ...
(later
Ferdinand VII of Spain
, house = Bourbon-Anjou
, father = Charles IV of Spain
, mother = Maria Luisa of Parma
, birth_date = 14 October 1784
, birth_place = El Escorial, Spain
, death_date =
, death_place = Madrid, Spain
, burial_plac ...
)
*
Simone Logeart
Simone may refer to:
* Simone (given name), a feminine (or Italian masculine) given name of Hebrew origin
* Simone (surname), an Italian surname
Simone may also refer to:
* ''Simone'' (1918 film), a French silent drama film
* ''Simone'' (1926 fi ...
as (unspecified)
*
Sophie Mallet
Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
as the maid
*
Michel Nastorg
Michel Nastorg (1914–1984) was a French actor.
During World War II he was called into the French army as Soldier Second Class. With the Seventh Army he retreated from Belgium before a fierce German onslaught, and found himself at Dunkirk in J ...
as a lackey
*
Georges Rivière
Georges Aristide Claude Félix Rivière (born 1 July 1924) is a French retired actor who worked in Argentine cinema in the 1950s. He appeared in nearly 50 films between 1948 and 1970.
Selected filmography
*'' The Lame Devil'' (1948) – Marqu ...
as Marquis de la Tour de Bournac
*
Robert Seller
Robert Seller (1889–1967) was a French stage and film actor.Crisp p.156
Also known by his surname, Seller began his film career in 1931 in Maurice de Canonge's film, ''Olive se marie''. He had parts in many films and plays by Sacha Guitry, i ...
Léon Walther
Léon Walther (2 June 1874 – 2 March 1973) was a French film and stage actor who played on numerous occasions in Sacha Guitry's films and plays.
Filmography
* 1935: ''Odette / Déchéance'' by Jacques Houssin – Count Hubert de Clermont- ...
;Release
* Original title: ''Le Diable boiteux''
* Genre:
historical film
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...
* Country of origin:
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
* Language: French
* Released: 29 September 1948 (France), 1948 (World)
;Specifications
* Runtime: 125 minutes
* Photography:
black-and-white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
mono
Mono may refer to:
Common meanings
* Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease"
* Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono
* Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single
Music Performers
* Mono (Japanese b ...
References
Sources
;
Primary source
In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...
s
* Guitry, Sacha (1948). ''Le Diable boiteux. Scènes de la vie de Talleyrand'' (play script), Paris: Éditions de l'Élan, Preface text at Amis-Talleyrand.fr; also reprinted in some of his other books, including: ''Le Cinéma et Moi'', 1977, Ramsay, p. 186–187) — Narrates the film's genesis and censorship.
;
s
* Savia, Roberto, ed. (online). , in ''Sacha Guitry, l'ironie d'un Maître, un Maître de l'ironie'' (website), at RobySavia.chez.com — Film data, compilation of 6 critics from 1948 to 1988.
;
Tertiary source
A tertiary source is an index or textual consolidation of already published primary and secondary sources''The Lame Devil'' at DVD Toile (as ''Le Diable Boiteux'') — Complements to credits, cast, release.
* — Most credits, cast, release.
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a French video-sharing technology platform owned by Vivendi. North American launch partners included Vice Media, Bloomberg and Hearst Digital Media. It is among the earliest known platforms to support HD (720p) resolution video. ...