''The Winner's Circle'' (French: ''Premières armes'') is a 1950 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

René Wheeler René Wheeler (8 February 1912 - 11 December 2000) was a French screenwriter and film director. He co-wrote the story of the film ''A Cage of Nightingales'' (1945) with Georges Chaperot, for which they both received an Academy Award nomination i ...

and starring

Michèle Alfa Michèle Alfa (born Joséphine Blanche Alfreda Bassignot; August 20, 1911 – August 24, 1987) was a French stage and film actress. After appearing mainly in supporting roles during the 1930s she starred in a number of films during the 1940s. D ...

Julien Carette Julien Henri Carette (23 December 1897 – 20 July 1966) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1964. Selected filmography * '' American Love'' (1931) * ''George and Georgette'' (1934) * ''My Heart Is ...

and

Paul Frankeur Paul Frankeur (29 June 1905 - 27 October 1974) was a French actor who appeared in films by Jacques Tati (''Jour de fête'') and Luis Buñuel (''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' and ''The Phantom of Liberty''). He was sometimes credited a ...

.Crisp p.309 The film takes place in a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

for aspiring young

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Cast

as Yvonne *

as Simon * Guy Decomble as Émile *

as Victor * Serge Grave as Michel *

Henri Poupon Henri Poupon (1884–1953) was a French stage and film actor.Paietta p.128 He worked a number of times with the write-director Marcel Pagnol. Selected filmography * ''The Fortune'' (1931) * ''To the Polls, Citizens'' (1932) * ''Angèle'' (1934) * ...

as Le père Lelarge * Roger Rafal as Barrymore * Santa Relli as Lucienne * Jean Cordier as René *

Palmyre Levasseur Palmyre Levasseur (24 December 1888 – 4 August 1963) was a French stage actor, stage and film actress.Aping p.234 Selected filmography * ''Culprit (1937 film), Culprit'' (1937) * ''Tricoche and Cacolet'' (1938) * ''The Mondesir Heir'' (1940) * ' ...

as La concierge * Suzanne Maury as La duchesse * Albert Plantier as Josito * Serge Soltani as Bobo

References

Bibliography

* Crisp, C.G. ''The Classic French Cinema, 1930-1960''. Indiana University Press, 1993.

External links

* 1950 films 1950 drama films French drama films 1950s French-language films Films directed by René Wheeler French horse racing films French black-and-white films 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub