''The Lovers of Midnight'' (French: ''Les amours de minuit'') is a 1931 French-German

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

drama film directed by

Augusto Genina Augusto Genina (28 January 1892 – 18 September 1957) was an Italian film pioneer. He was a movie producer and director. Biography Born in Rome, Genina was a drama critic and wrote comedies for the ''Il Mondo'' Magazine, under advise of Aldo ...

and

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

and starring

Danièle Parola Danièle Parola (March 28, 1905 – September 2, 1998) was a French film actress. She starred in the 1932 crime film '' Narcotics''.Youngkin p.465 She was married to the actor and producer André Daven. Selected filmography * '' The Orchid Danc ...

Pierre Batcheff Pierre Batcheff (Russian: Пьер Батчефф; 23 June 1901? – 13 April 1932) was a French actor of Russian origin. He became a popular film actor from the mid-1920s until the early 1930s, and among his best-known work was the surrealist sh ...

and

Josseline Gaël Josseline Gaël (born Jeannine Augustine Jeanne Blanleuil; 4 February 1917 – 10 August 1995) was a French actress who specialised in comedy roles. She is best remembered for her portrayal of Cosette in the 1934 film adaptation of Les Misérable ...

. It is a

Multiple-language version A multiple-language version film, often abbreviated to MLV, is a film, especially from the early talkie era, produced in several different languages for international markets. To offset the marketing restrictions of making sound films in only one ...

with a separate German-language version ''Mitternachtsliebe'' also produced. It was the first

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

to be made at the

Billancourt Studios Billancourt Studios was a film studio in Paris which operated between 1922 and 1992. Located in Boulogne-Billancourt, it was one of the leading French studios. It was founded in the silent era by Henri Diamant-Berger. During the Second World War ...

in Paris.Powrie & Rebillard p.16 It was remade as the 1943 film ''

Voyage Without Hope ''Voyage Without Hope'' (French: ''Voyage sans espoir'') is a French 1943 French crime drama film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Simone Renant, Jean Marais and Paul Bernard. It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Paris. The film's ...

'' during the Occupation period.

Synopsis

Marcel, a young

bank clerk ''The Bank Clerk'' is a 1919 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle * Molly Malone See also * List of American films of 1919 * Fatty Arbuckle fil ...

who has stolen money on a sudden whim is heading south to catch a ship to Latin America. On the train he encounters ruthless criminal Gaston who persuades his mistress Georgette, a singer in a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

to seduce and rob the clerk. However, she begins to develop sympathy for him.

Cast

as Georgette Lajoie *

as Marcel Valmont *

Louis Zellas Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

as Le Capitaine / The Captain *

as Fanny *

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 Gaston Bouchard *

Pierre Labry Pierre Labry (1885–1948) was a French stage and film actor.Capua p.122 He was active in the French film industry between 1920 and 1948, appearing in more than a hundred films. Selected filmography * ''La croisade'' (1920) * ''Gigolette'' (1921 ...

as Le policier

References

Bibliography

* Powrie, Phil & Rebillard, Éric. ''Pierre Batcheff and stardom in 1920s French cinema''. Edinburgh University Press, 2009. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1931 films French crime films German crime films 1931 crime films French multilingual films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Augusto Genina Films directed by Marc Allégret 1931 multilingual films 1930s French films 1930s German films Films shot at Billancourt Studios Films scored by Philippe Parès Films scored by Georges Van Parys {{1930s-France-film-stub