''The Three Masks'' (French: ''Les trois masques'') is a 1929

French film French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary influ ...

directed by

André Hugon André Hugon (17 December 1886 – 22 August 1960) was a French film director, screenwriter and film producer best known for his silent films from 1913 onwards, particularly of the 1920s and into sound. Hugon was born in Algiers in 1886 wh ...

and starring Renée Héribel,

Jean Toulout Jean Toulout (28 September 1887 – 23 October 1962) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1911 and 1959. Selected filmography * ''La Digue'' (1911) * '' The Mask of Horror'' (1912) * '' The Tenth Symphony'' ( ...

and

François Rozet François Rozet, (25 March 1899 – 8 April 1994) was a French-born Canadian actor. Rozet was born March 25, 1899 in Villars-les-Dombes, Ain, Rhône-Alpes, France and died in Montréal, Québec, Canada. In 1971, he was made an Officer of ...

. Produced by

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

the film is considered to be a candidate for France's first

talking picture A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, 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 decad ...

, but was made in Britain. As no French studio had yet been converted for sound, it was shot at

Twickenham Studios Twickenham Studios (formerly known as Twickenham Film Studios) is a film studio in St Margarets, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, that is used by various motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Ralph ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The first talking picture produced in France is probably Pierre Colombier's ', although ''

The Queen's Necklace ''The Queen's Necklace'' is a novel by Alexandre Dumas that was published in 1849 and 1850 (immediately following the French Revolution of 1848). It is loosely based on the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an episode involving fraud and royal scan ...

'' produced by Pathe's rival Gaumont is also considered a contender.Lanzoni p.57 The first American sound films had premiered in Europe, followed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

Blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

'' in 1929. Producer

Julius Hagen Julius Hagen (1884–1940) was a German-born British film producer who produced more than a hundred films in Britain. Hagen originally worked as a salesman for Ruffels Pictures. He then worked his way up to become a production manager in the Br ...

was quick in overhauling the studios at Twickenham for sound and providing

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...

s for rent to both British and Continental producers. 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 ...

Christian-Jaque Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), '' ...

. The film is based on the 1908 play of the same title by

Charles Méré Charles Méré (29 January 1883 – 2 October 1970) was a French film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Biography Méré was born in Marseille, France, and was president of the ''Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques'' (Soci ...

, which had previously been made into a 1921 silent ''

The Three Masks ''The Three Masks'' (French: ''Les trois masques'') is a 1929 French film directed by André Hugon and starring Renée Héribel, Jean Toulout and François Rozet. Produced by Pathé the film is considered to be a candidate for France's first tal ...

'' by

Henry Krauss Henry Krauss (26 April 1866 – 15 December 1935) was a French actor of stage and screen. He is sometimes credited as Henri Krauss. He was the father of the art director Jacques Krauss. Partial filmography * ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame ...

Synopsis

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

two brothers decide to take revenge against the young man who has got their sister pregnant, unaware that he is trying to marry her in the face of his father's opposition. They stab him while all three are wearing

masks A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practi ...

for a

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

Cast

* Renée Héribel as Viola Vescotelli *

as Pratti Della Corba *

as Paolo *

Marcel Vibert Marcel Vibert (2 November 1883 – 11 June 1959) was a French film actor. Vibert worked primarily in the French film industry, but in the late 1920s he also appeared in several British silent films including ''Moulin Rouge'' and ''Champagne''. ...

as Vescotelli *

Paul Azaïs Paul François Robert Azaïs (6 May 1902 – 17 November 1974) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1929 and 1966. Selected filmography * ''The Three Masks'' (1929) - Le fils Vescotelli * ''Le défenseur'' (1 ...

as Le fils Vescotelli *

Henri Bargin Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

Rachel Boyer Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her au ...

* Pierre Geay *

Michel Kovachevitch Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

* Clotilde Person as La tante Della Corba * Louis Rouyer as Un masque

References

Bibliography

* Crisp, C.G. ''The Classic French Cinema, 1930-1960''. Indiana University Press, 1993 * Lanzoni, Rémi Fournier . ''French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present''. A&C Black, 2004. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009. * Williams, Alan Larson. ''Republic of Images: A History of French Filmmaking''. Harvard University Press, 1992.

External links

* 1929 films Films directed by André Hugon 1920s French-language films Transitional sound films Remakes of French films Sound film remakes of silent films French films based on plays French black-and-white films Pathé films Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios 1920s French films {{1920s-France-film-stub