''Under the Sky of Paris'' (French: ''Sous le ciel de Paris'') is a 1951 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

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

. It was shot 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 ...

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 ...

and on location around the city. 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 ...

René Moulaert René Moulaert (1901–1965) was a Belgian art director who worked on designing stage and film sets.Thys p.316 Selected filmography * '' The Marriage of Mademoiselle Beulemans'' (1932) * '' Strange Inheritance'' (1943) * '' Night Shift'' (1944) * ...

. The song of the same name, later recorded by

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

and others, was written for this film by

Hubert Giraud Hubert Yves Adrian Giraud (3 March 1920 – 16 January 2016) was a French composer and lyricist. Career Giraud began his career playing the harmonica with Django Reinhardt's jazz group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In 1941, he was recr ...

(music) and Jean Dréjac (lyrics). In the film it was sung by

Jean Bretonnière Jean Bretonnière (1924–2001) was a French actor and singer.Goble p.36 He was married to the actress Geneviève Kervine. Selected filmography * ''Under the Sky of Paris'' (1951) * ''The Green Glove'' (1952) * ''It Happened in Aden'' (1954) * ' ...

Plot

Under the sky of Paris, during a day, we see large and small events that occur in the lives of several people whose fates will intertwine. A poor old lady, after searching in vain all day to feed her cats, receives an unexpected reward from a mother whose daughter she had found. A young girl, dreaming of love, refuses the advances of her childhood friend to be stabbed to death by a sadistic sculptor. The latter is shot by a policeman who accidentally injured a worker who was returning home after the successful conclusion of a strike. Rushed to hospital, the injured worker is saved through the first open-heart surgery performed by a young surgeon who has just failed his intern exam.

Cast

Brigitte Auber Brigitte Auber (; born Marie-Claire Cahen de Labzac , 27 April 1925) is a French actress who has worked on stage, film and television in Europe. Career Auber was born in Paris on 27 April 1925. She began her film career with the leading role i ...

as Denise Lambert *

Jean Brochard Jean Brochard (12 March 1893 – 17 June 1972) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1933 and 1966. Selected filmography * '' A Man's Neck'' (1933) - Petit rôle (uncredited) * ''Boubouroche'' (1933) * ''La ...

as Jules Hermenault *

René Blancard René Blancard (12 March 1897 – 5 November 1965) was a French film actor. He appeared in 80 films between 1922 and 1965. Selected filmography * '' The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) - Bras-Rouge * ''Montmartre'' (1925) - Frédéric Charanç ...

as Le professeur Bertelin *

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 ...

as Milou *

Raymond Hermantier Raymond Hermantier (13 January 1924 – 11 February 2005) was a French actor, born in Lyon, France as Raymond Maroutian. Raymond Hermantier aspired to act since the age of 17. His training was interrupted by World War II during which he served i ...

as Mathias, l'artiste *

Daniel Ivernel Daniel Ivernel (3 June 1920 – 11 November 1999) was a French film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1947 and 1981. Filmography References External links * 1920 births 1999 deaths French male film actors People from Versai ...

as Georges Forestier *

Pierre Destailles Pierre Destailles (1909–1990) was a French film, stage and television actor. He was also a noted lyricist.Cenciarelli p.249 Selected filmography * '' Dropped from Heaven'' (1946) * '' Mission in Tangier'' (1949) * '' Suzanne and the Robbers' ...

as Michel *

Jacques Clancy Jacques Clancy (17 May 1920 - 19 May 2012) was a French actor, sociétaire of the Comédie-Française. Filmography * 1938 : ''Carrefour'' by Kurt Bernhardt * 1945 : '' A Friend Will Come Tonight'' by Raymond Bernard - ''Jacques Leroy'' * ...

as Armand Mestre * Christiane Lénier as Marie-Thérèse *

Marie-France Marie-France is a French feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Marie-France (actress) (born 1943), French actress * Marie-France Bazzo, Canadian broadcaster * Marie-France Beaufils (born 1946), member of the Senate of France ...

as La petite Colette Malingret * Marcelle Praince as Madame Balthazar, la voyante *

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 La dame des invalides *

René Génin René Génin (25 January 1890 – 24 October 1967) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1931 and 1965. Selected filmography * ''The Brighton Twins'' (1936) * ''27 Rue de la Paix'' (1936) * '' Nights ...

as Le cocher *

Georgette Anys Georgette Anys (15 July 1909 – 4 March 1993) was a French film and television actress. A character actress, she appeared mainly in French productions, but also some American films which were shot in Europe including Alfred Hitchcock's ''To Catch ...

as Madame Malingret * Jane Morlet as La contrôleuse des vieillards *

Serge Nadaud Serge Nadaud (May 14, 1906 – July 18, 1995) was a Russian Empire-born French stage and film actor. He was born Eugene Rabinowitch to a Jewish family in Bakhmut which was then part of the Russian Empire. Sometime after the Russian Revolution of ...

as Le bijoutier * Guy Favières as Le malade * Georgius as Malingret *

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 ...

as Maximilien *

André Valmy André Valmy (8 October 1919 – 18 November 2015) was a French film actor. He was born André Antoine Marius Dugenet in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1940 and 2001. He is also known in France to ...

as Le docteur Lucien Evrard *

Maryse Paillet Maryse Paillet born in Limoges and died at an indeterminate date after 1970, was a French singer and actress. Life Virtually nothing is known about Maryse Paillet other than that she first embarked on an operatic career as a soprano soloist fr ...

as Madame Milou *

Nicolas Vogel Nicolas Vogel (born in Paris, France, May 27, 1925 - died in Paris September 17, 2006) was an actor and comedian who was featured in numerous films and television shows in the 1960s and 1970s, including ''The Man from Chicago'' (1963), '' Le Gitan' ...

as Un gréviste * Wanny as Mado, la prostituée *

Nadine Basile Nadine Basile (1931–2017) was a French stage, film and television actress. Goble p.140 She was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti in 1952. She was married to the actor Jean Martinelli. Selected filmography * '' Au royaume des cieux'' (1949) * ...

as La stoppeuse *

Colette Régis Colette Régis (1893–1978) was a French film actress.Hayward p.280 Selected filmography * ''Rasputin'' (1938) - Une religieuse (uncredited) * ''Three Waltzes'' (1938) - Sarah Bernhardt * ''La Bête Humaine'' (1938) - Victoire Pecqueux * ''Tro ...

as L'infirmière-chef *

Louis Florencie Louis Florencie (4 December 1896 – 4 December 1951) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1927 and 1951. Selected filmography * ''Companion Wanted'' (1932) * ''Beauty Spot (film), Beauty Spot'' (1932) * ''Suza ...

as Le prêtre *

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 Etienne Lambolle * Henri Coutet as Le délégué syndical * Michel Rob as Pirate, le jeune garçon * Sylvie as Mademoiselle Perrier

References

External links

* 1951 films 1950s French-language films Films directed by Julien Duvivier French drama films 1951 drama films Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris Films shot at Billancourt Studios French black-and-white films 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub