''Topaze '' is a 1951 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...

and starring

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan to ...

Hélène Perdrière Hélène Perdrière (born 17 April 1912 in Asnieres-sur-Seine, died 27 August 1992 in Boulogne-Billancourt) was a French stage and film actress. After earning a first prize for comedy at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art in 1928, she be ...

and

Marcel Vallée Marcel Vallée (15 January 1880, in Paris – 31 October 1957, in Fontaine-le-Port) was a French actor, primarily of the theater. He began working in films with Max Linder in 1906. He appeared in some American films. Selected filmography * '' ...

.Vincendeau p.74 It is based on Pagnol's own 1928

play of the same name Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

, which has been adapted for the screen a number of times including a 1936 film directed by Pagnol. It was shot at the

Saint-Maurice Studios Saint-Maurice is the name or part of the name of places. It refers to the legendary Saint Maurice. Canada * Saint-Maurice (Lower Canada), an electoral district 1792–1838 * Saint-Maurice (Province of Canada), an electoral district 1841–1867 * ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

Robert Giordani Robert Giordani (1902-1981) was a French art director.Pirolini p.182 He designed the sets for more than eighty productions during his career. Selected filmography * ''Arlette and Love'' (1943) * ''Rooster Heart'' (1946) * '' The Three Cousins'' ...

Cast

as Albert Topaze *

as Suzy Courtois *

Jacqueline Pagnol Jacqueline Andrée Pagnol (née Bouvier; 6 October 1920 – 22 August 2016) was a French actress. She acted in many French films in the 1940s and 1950s. She was the wife of French author and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol. Biography Early life Jacq ...

as Ernestine Muche *

as M. Muche * Jacques Castelot as Roger Gaëtan de Bersac *

Milly Mathis Milly Mathis (September 8, 1901 – March 30, 1965) was a French actress who appeared in more than 100 films during her career. Born on September 8, 1901, as Emilienne Pauline Tomasini in Marseilles, France, she made her film debut with a small, ...

as La barone / The Baroness *

Yvette Etiévant Yvette Etiévant (1922–2003) was a French actress. She starred in Yves Robert's '' War of the Buttons'' (''La Guerre des boutons'') in 1962. Filmography *1945: '' Les Dames du bois de Boulogne'' (directed by Robert Bresson) - La bonne *19 ...

as La dactylo de Topaze / Topaze's typist * Robert Moor as Le vénérable vieillard *

Rivers Cadet Rivers Cadet (1 March 1892 – 1 November 1968) was a French actor. Cadet was born Jean Maurice Large in Paris. He was the brother of Fernand Rivers. Selected filmography * '' Maurin of the Moors'' (1932) * '' The Ironmaster'' (1933) * '' Th ...

as L'agent de police * Marcel Loche as Un domestique *

Pierre Larquey Pierre Larquey (10 July 1884 – 17 April 1962) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1913 and 1962. Born in Cénac, Gironde, France, he died in Maisons-Laffitte at the age of 77. Selected filmography * ''Patr ...

as Tamise * Jacques Morel as Régis Castel-Vernac

References

Bibliography

* Vincendeau, Ginette. ''The Companion to French Cinema''. Cassell, 1996.

External links

* 1951 films Films based on works by Marcel Pagnol Films directed by Marcel Pagnol 1950s French-language films French films based on plays Gaumont Film Company films French comedy films 1951 comedy films French black-and-white films 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub