''Behind the Facade'' (French: ''Derrière la façade'') is a 1939 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 ...

directed by Georges Lacombe and

Yves Mirande Yves Mirande (Bagneux (Maine-et-Loire), May 8, 1876 – Paris, March 17, 1957) was a French screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. Career Yves Mirande began his acting career in the theater, transitioning to movies in the silent era. F ...

and starring

Lucien Baroux Lucien Baroux (born Marcel Lucien Barou; 21 September 1888 in Toulouse – 21 May 1968 in Hossegor) was a French actor. He began his career working in the theatre, moving on to a long career in films from the 1930s. In the field of musical comed ...

Jules Berry Jules Berry (born Marie Louis Jules Paufichet; 9 February 1883 – 23 April 1951) was a French actor. Biography Early life Berry and his two brothers were born to parents who sold hardware and settled in Poitou. The family moved to Paris in 188 ...

and

André Lefaur André Lefaur (25 July 1879 – 5 December 1952) was a French film and theatre actor, notably working several times with director Sacha Guitry. Partial filmography * ''La Vénus d'Arles'' (1911) * ''L'homme qui assassina'' (1913) * ''Ainsi v ...

.Aitken p.511 The film's sets were designed by the art director Lucien Aguettand. It was shot at the

Epinay Studios The Epinay Studios are film production studios located in Epinay in northern Paris. It was a complex with two distinct and separate structures. The earliest was built in 1902 by Eclair Film. A second studio was controlled by the French subsidia ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

Synopsis

When the owner of an apartment block is found murdered, two policeman investigate the lives of the various tenants who live there.

Cast

as Le commissaire Boucheron *

as Alfrédo D'Avila *

as Corbeau *

Gaby Morlay Gaby Morlay (born Blanche Pauline Fumoleau; 8 June 1893 – 4 July 1964) was a film actress from France.

as Gaby *

Elvire Popesco Elvira Popescu (; in French, Elvire Popesco; 10 May 1894 – 11 December 1993) was a Romanian- French stage and film actress and theatre director. During the 1930s and 1940s, she starred in a number of French comedy films. Life and career P ...

as Madame Rameau *

Michel Simon Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss-French actor. He appeared in many notable French films, including ''La Chienne'' (1931), ''Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932), ''L'Atalante'' (1934), ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), '' The He ...

as Picking * Betty Stockfeld as L'anglaise * Erich von Stroheim as Eric *

Simone Berriau Simone Berriau (21 July 1896 - 26 February 1984) was a French actress. She appeared in more than ten films from 1933 to 1942. Selected filmography References External links * * 1896 births 1984 deaths French film actresses 20th-ce ...

as Lydia * Missia as Joséphine Picking *

Raymond Segard Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

as Robert Bernier *

Marcel Orluc Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian ...

as Gérard Bernier *

Jean Daurand Jean Daurand (1913–1989) was a French actor. He starred in ''La Nuit Merveilleuse'' and ''Derrière la Facade''. Selected filmography * ''Rothchild'' (1933) * ''Le secret d'une nuit'' (1934) * ''Pension Mimosas'' (1935) - Un groom (uncredit ...

as Le télégraphiste *

Elmire Vautier ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

as Marie, l'habilleuse de Lydia * Lina Darwils as Une locataire *

Robert Ozanne Robert Ozanne (February 13, 1898 – September 14, 1941) was a French film actor.Youngkin p.466 Selected filmography * ''The Three Musketeers'' (1932) * ''The Oil Sharks'' (1933) * '' Miquette'' (1934) * '' The House on the Dune'' (1934) * ''The ...

as Le brigadier *

Claude Sainval Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

as Le gigolo de Gaby * Raymone as La bonne de Madame Mathieu *

Jean Joffre Jean Joffre (1872–1944) often styled simply as Joffre was a French film and stage actor. Crisp p.192 A character actor he played a variety of supporting roles in theatre and the cinema during his career. His final screen appearance was in the ...

as Monsieur Martin, l'aveugle * Lise Courbet as Paulette * Andrex as André Laurent, l'employé de banque *

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 ...

as Le soldat *

Aimé Clariond Aimé Clariond (10 May 1894 – 31 December 1959) was a French stage and film actor. Clariond was born in Périgueux, Dordogne, France and died in Paris. Selected filmography * ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (1931) - Ivan Karamazoff * '' Amourous ...

as Le président Bernier * Jacques Dumesnil as Albert Durant, le jouer de poker *

Paul Faivre Paul Faivre (3 March 1886 – 5 March 1973) was a French actor. Selected filmography * '' The House Opposite'' (1937) * ''Behind the Facade'' (1939) * '' Vidocq'' (1939) * '' Annette and the Blonde Woman'' (1942) * '' The Count of Monte Cri ...

as Le concierge * Marcel Simon as Jules, l'amant de Gaby *

Gaby Sylvia Gaby Sylvia (March 24, 1920 – July 26, 1980) was an Italian actress who appeared in many French films and television series.Goble p.37 Partial filmography * ''Le ruisseau'' (1938) - Denise * '' Behind the Façade'' (1939) - Madeleine Martin ...

as Madeleine Martin *

Gabrielle Dorziat Gabrielle Dorziat (1880–1979) was a French stage and film actress. Dorziat was a fashion trend setter in Paris and helped popularize the designs of Coco Chanel. The Théâtre Gabrielle-Dorziat in Épernay, France is named for her. Biography ...

as Madame Bernier *

Jacques Baumer Jacques Baumer (born Jacques Henri Nusbaumer; 12 April 1885 - 20 June 1951), was a French theatre director and comedian. Filmography * 1932: ' by Georges Lacombe * 1933: ''Étienne'' by Jean Tarride * 1936: ' by Max Glass and Marco de Gastyn ...

as Lambert *

Marguerite Moreno Marguerite Moreno (born Lucie Marie Marguerite Monceau; 15 September 1871, Paris - 14 July 1948, Touzac, Lot) was a French stage and film actress. On 12 September 1900, in England, she married the writer Marcel Schwob, whom she had met in 1895 ...

as La sous-directrice *

Georges Bever Georges Bever (1884–1973) was a French film and television actor.Goble p.38 Selected filmography * '' The Crystal Submarine '' (1927) * ''The Man in Evening Clothes'' (1931) * '' When Do You Commit Suicide?'' (1931) * ''Fun in the Barracks'' ...

as Un chauffeur de taxi *

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) * '' Thr ...

as Un agent * Roger Doucet * Hélène Flouest * Georges Malkine as Un chauffeur de taxi *

Franck Maurice Franck can refer to: People * Franck (name) Other * Franck (company), Croatian coffee and snacks company * Franck (crater), Lunar crater named after James Franck See also * Franc (disambiguation) * Franks * Frank (disambiguation) * Frankie ...

as Un agent *

as Le clochard sur le banc * Robert Moor as Un agent *

Henri Nassiet Henri Nassiet (1895–1977) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''Maman Pierre'' (1922) * ''La griffe du hasard'' (1937) - Séverac (uncredited) * '' Life Dances On'' (1937) - Un policier * ''L'innocent'' (1938) - Gregor * ''La Glu'' (19 ...

as Petit rôle *

Jean Wiener Jean Wiener (or Wiéner) (19 March 1896, 14th arrondissement of Paris – 8 June 1982, Paris) was a French pianist and composer. Life Wiener was trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied alongside Darius Milhaud, and worked wi ...

References

Bibliography

* Aitken, Ian. ''The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film''. Routledge, 2013.

External links

* 1939 films French drama films 1939 drama films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Georges Lacombe Films directed by Yves Mirande Films shot at Epinay Studios French black-and-white films 1930s French films {{1930s-France-film-stub