''White Paws'' (French: ''Pattes blanches'') is a 1949 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

Jean Grémillon Jean Grémillon (; 3 October 1901 – 25 November 1959)Note that, despite attempts at correction, thIMDb entry on the directorlists his date of birth erroneously as 4 March 1898. The correct date is given in his standard biography, by Geneviève S ...

and starring

Suzy Delair Suzy Delair (born Suzette Pierrette Delaire; December 31, 1917 – March 15, 2020) was a French actress, dancer, singer, comedian and star of vaudeville. Early years Growing up in Montmartre, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered ...

Fernand Ledoux Fernand Ledoux (born Jacques Joseph Félix Fernand Ledoux, 24 January 1897, Tirlemont – 21 September 1993, Villerville) was a French film and theatre actor of Belgian origin. He studied with Raphaël Duflos at the CNSAD, and began his ca ...

and Paul Bernard. The Paws of the title refer to the white spats wore by the protagonist, the aristocratic owner of an estate on the French coast. It was shot at the

Neuilly Studios Neuilly (, ) is a common place name in France, deriving from the male given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as we ...

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 in

Erquy Erquy (; ; Gallo: ''Erqi'') is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Erquy is located in a cove of the Penthièvre coast bordered by cape Erquy on one side and a volcanic rock formation called ''pointe ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. 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 ...

Léon Barsacq Léon Barsacq (18 October 1906 – 23 December 1969) was a Russian-born and naturalized French production designer, art director and set decorator. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film '' Th ...

. Grémillon had attempted to produce several film projects since the financial failure of '' The Woman Who Dared'' in 1944, but this was the first

feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing characteristic of a software item ...

he had managed to make. Similar in plot and atmosphere to his wartime film '' Summer Light'', this resulted in another commercial failure and Grémillon's eclipse as a leading French director by other filmmakers such as Henri Georges-Clouzot.Williams p.286

Synopsis

In Brittany, inn owner Jock Le Guen brings his mistress Odette back to town with him, but she soon takes up with the aristocratic eccentric Julien de Keriadec, derisively known to the inhabitants as "White Paws". Their relationship ultimately ends tragically.

Cast

as Odette Kerouan *

as Jock Le Guen * Paul Bernard as Julien de Keriadec- Pattes Blanches * Arlette Thomas as Mimi la bossue *

Michel Bouquet Michel Bouquet (6 November 1925 – 13 April 2022) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1947 to 2020. He won the Best Actor European Film Award for ''Toto the Hero'' in 1991 and two Best Actor Césars for ...

as Maurice *

Geneviève Morel Geneviève Morel (1916–1989) was a French stage and film actress.Bessy & Chirat p.233 Selected filmography * '' Beating Heart'' (1940) * ''Mademoiselle Swing'' (1942) * ''Goodbye Leonard'' (1943) * '' Secrets of a Ballerina'' (1943) * '' Cecil ...

as Marguerite *

Paul Barge Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

as Un invité *

Betty Daussmond Betty Daussmond (1873–1957), born Marguerite Anne Bettina Doneau, was a French stage and film actress. In 1914 she played the leading female part in Georges Feydeau's last full-length farce, '' Je ne trompe pas mon mari!''. The author commented ...

as La tante de Julien *

Philippe Sergeol Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Coun ...

as Un invité * Sylvie as La mère de Maurice *

Jean Debucourt Jean Debucourt (19 January 1894 – 22 March 1958) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1920 and 1958. Selected filmography * '' The Little Thing'' (1923) * ''Jean Chouan'' (1926) * ''Madame Récami ...

as Le juge d'instruction

References

Bibliography

* Williams, Alan. ''Republic of Images: A History of French Filmmaking''. Harvard University Press, 1992.

External links

* 1949 films 1949 drama films French drama films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Jean Grémillon Films set in Brittany 1950s French films 1940s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub