''The Pearls of the Crown'' (french: Les Perles de la couronne) is a 1937 French comedy film of historically based fiction by Sacha Guitry who plays four roles in it (many of the other performers play multiple roles, as well). Guitry's Jean Martin investigates the history of seven pearls, four of which end up on the crown of England, while the other three initially go missing. It was made at the Billancourt Studios in

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 ...

with

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

at a variety of sites including the Abbaye de Royaumont, the

Château de Louveciennes The Château de Louveciennes in Louveciennes, in the Yvelines département of France, is composed of the château itself, constructed at the end of the 17th century. It was then expanded and redecorated by Ange-Jacques Gabriel for Madame du Barry ...

and aboard the S.S. Normandie. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jean Perrier.

Plot

Tracing the history of seven valuable pearls of the English Crown from the time of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

to the present day (1937). Writer Jean Martin (Sacha Guitry) attempts to track down three of the missing pearls by tracing their previous owners, with events seen in flashback, involving

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, King Henry VIII and

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

amongst others.

Cast

* Sacha Guitry as Jean Martin/

François I Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

/ Viscount Barras/Old

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

Jacqueline Delubac Jacqueline Delubac (1907–1997) was a French stage and film actress.Williams p.158 She was married to Sacha Guitry and appeared in a number of his productions on both stage and screen. Selected filmography * '' Let's Get Married'' (1931) * '' T ...

as Françoise Martin/

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

/ Josephine *

Lyn Harding David Llewellyn Harding (12 October 1867 – 26 December 1952), known professionally as Lyn Harding, was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio. He had an imposing and menac ...

as John Russell/ Henry VIII *

Renée Saint-Cyr Renée Saint-Cyr (; 16 November 1904 – 11 July 2004) was a French actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1933 and 1994. She was the mother of Georges Lautner, who also achieved fame in the film business, albeit as a director. ...

Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne (1498 – 28 April 1519) was a younger daughter of Jean III de La Tour (1467– 28 March 1501), Count of Auvergne and Lauraguais, and Jeanne de Bourbon, Duchess of Bourbon (1465–1511). She was a pe ...

Enrico Glori Enrico is both an Italian masculine given name and a surname, Enrico means homeowner, or king, derived from ''Heinrich'' of Germanic origin. It is also a given name in Ladino. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Henri ( French), ...

as Pope's Chamberlain * Ermete Zacconi as

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

* Barbara Shaw as

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

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 ...

Catherine de'Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

/ Empress Eugenie *

Arletty Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat (15 May 1898 – 23 July 1992), known professionally as Arletty, was a French actress, singer, and fashion model. As an actress she is particularly known for classics directed by Marcel Carné, including '' Hotel du N ...

as Queen of Abyssinia * Marcel Dalio as Abyssinian Minister/Jewel Seller * Claude Dauphin as Italian in Abyssinia *

Robert Seller Robert Seller (1889–1967) was a French stage and film actor.Crisp p.156 Also known by his surname, Seller began his film career in 1931 in Maurice de Canonge's film, ''Olive se marie''. He had parts in many films and plays by Sacha Guitry, i ...

as Englishman in Abyssinia * Ponzio as Singing worker *

Andrews Engelmann Andrews Engelmann (23 March 1901 – 25 February 1992) was a Russian-born German actor. He worked primarily in Germany, where he specialised in playing Russian roles, but also appeared in a number of British films during his career. He was born as ...

as The Lead Robber *

Yvette Pienne Yvette is female given name, the French feminine form of Yves, which means yew or archer in some cases. Name days *Czech Republic: ''7 June'' *Hungary: ''13 January'', ''6 May'' and ''29 June'' *Poland: ''13 January'' *Slovakia: ''27 May'' ...

as Queen Mary I of England (Mary Tudor)/

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

Raimu Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', '' Fanny'' and '' César''). Life and career Born in T ...

as Industrialist *

Lisette Lanvin Lisette Lanvin (1913–2004) was a French film actress.Goble p.6 Selected filmography * ''Student's Hotel'' (1932) * ''Youth'' (1933) * '' Nitchevo'' (1936) * ''Jenny'' (1936) * ''The Kings of Sport'' (1937) * ''The Club of Aristocrats'' (1937) * ...

as Femme du monde/Reine Victoria *

Pierre Juvenet Pierre Juvenet (1883–1951) was a French stage and film actor.Powrie p.231 A character actor, he appeared in more than a hundred films frequently portraying officials and authority figures. Selected filmography * ''The Mystery of the Yellow Ro ...

as The Expert * Henri Crémieux as Auctioneer * Aimé Simon-Girard as

Henri IV Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

* Germaine Aussey as

Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She persuaded Henry to renounce Protestantism in favour of Catholicism in 1593. La ...

Simone Renant Simone Renant (19 March 1911 – 29 March 2004) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1934 and 1983. She was born in Amiens, France and died in Garches, France. Partial filmography * ''La folle nuit'' (1932 ...

as Madame Du Barry * Damia as Woman of the People * Di Mazzei as Sans-coulotte *

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundia ...

as Lorenzo de Medicia/Young Bonaparte *

Robert Pizani Robert Pizani (26 April 1896 – 17 June 1965) was a French stage and film actor whose 45-year career encompassed leading roles in numerous plays, revues and operettas as well as dozens of films. In operetta Pizani's roles in operetta and musica ...

as Talleyrand * Émile Drain as

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

(1815) *

Huguette Duflos Huguette Duflos (24 August 1887, Limoges – 12 April 1982, Paris) was a French stage and film actress. Life In 1910, she married the actor Raphaël Duflos, from whom she was divorced around 1928. Initially a theatrical performer with th ...

as Queen Hortense *

Raymonde Allain Raymonde Allain (22 June 1912 – 27 July 2008) was a French model and actress. She was Miss France in 1928. Her participation in the Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States ...

as Empress Eugenie (1865) *

Violet Farebrother Violet Farebrother (22 August 1888 – 27 September 1969) was an English actress. She appeared in 25 films between 1911 and 1965, including three films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. She was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and died in Eastbo ...

as An Old Lady * Rosine Deréan as Young girl/ Catherine d'Aragon * Marie Leconte as A Woman in Misery *

Pierre Magnier Pierre Frédéric Magnier (February 22, 1869 - October 15, 1959) was a French actor who began on the stage in the 1890s and became a prominent silent film actor in France. He was the second actor to portray '' Cyrano de Bergerac'' in any film in ...

as An Old Lord * Cécile Sorel as A Courtesan (5th billed in star credit!) * Lillie Grandval as Opera Soprano *

Jean Coquelin Jean Coquelin (1865–1944) was a French film and stage actor and the son of Benoît-Constant Coquelin Benoît-Constant Coquelin (; 23 January 184127 January 1909), known as Coquelin aîné ("Coquelin the Elder"), was a French actor, "one of the ...

as An Old man * Gaston Dubosc as A Grand Duke *

Pauline Carton Pauline Carton (4 July 1884 – 17 June 1974) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 190 films between 1907 and 1974. Filmography * ''La fille du Boche'' (1915) * ''Blanchette'' (1921) * ''La femme de nulle part'' (1922) * '' ...

as Femme du Chambre * Anaclara as La négresse * Colette Borelli as Mary Stuart (girl) * Julien Clément as Le gigolo * Marfa d'Hervilly as La vieille courtisane *

Denis de Marney Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), baron in the Kingdom of Hungary * Denis the Carthusian (1402–1 ...

as Darnley * Aline Debray * Dynalik as Le petit rat * Georges Fels as ? * Eugénie Fougère as La vieille coquette *

Gary Garland Gary Joseph Houston ( né Garland; born October 12, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season with the Nuggets ( 1979–80). Gary is the h ...

as Une passagère sur le Normandie *

Anthony Gildès Anthony Gildès (13 August 1856 – 6 October 1941) was a French actor. Anthony Gildès was born Anatole Gleizes in Metz, France. He died in Paris at age 85. Selected filmography * '' The Zone of Death'' (1917) * '' The Torture of Silence'' (191 ...

as Le vieil hongrois * Georges Grey as Le jeune hongrois * Geneviève Guitry as ? * Lautner as Le Titien * Oléo as La petite poule *

Jacqueline Pacaud Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * Jacqueline (1923 film), ''Jac ...

as Jane Seymour * Annie Rozanne as ? * Léon Walther as Anne de Montmorency * Laurence Atkins as Madame Tallien/Madame d'Estampes *

Jacques Berlioz Jacques Berlioz (9 December 1891, Paris – 21 December 1975) was a French zoologist and ornithologist, specializing in hummingbirds. He was a grand-nephew of composer Hector Berlioz (1803–1869). Berlioz was born in Paris, where the family h ...

as ? *? as Hipollite * Humberto Catalano as Spanelli (uncredited!) * James Craven as Hans Holbein *

Derrick De Marney Derrick Raoul Edouard Alfred De Marney (21 September 1906 – 18 February 1978) was an English stage and film actor and producer, of French and Irish ancestry. Actor The son of Violet Eileen Concanen and Arthur De Marney, and the grandson of ...

as Darnley *

Fred Duprez Fred Duprez (September 6, 1884 – October 27, 1938) was an American actor, comedian and singer who performed in vaudeville, phonograph record and film. He made phonograph recordings in the US and the UK in the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s. Most of t ...

as An American *

Romuald Joubé Romuald Charles Eugène Gaudens Jean Sylve Joubé (20 June 1876 – 14 September 1949) was a French stage and film actor whose career on the stage and in films lasted approximately thirty years. Career Born in Mazères, Ariège, Romuald Jo ...

as Clouet * Darling Légitimus as ? *

Percy Marmont Percy Marmont (25 November 1883 – 3 March 1977) was an English film actor. Biography Marmont appeared in more than 80 films between 1916 and 1968. A veteran film actor by 1923, he scored a big hit that year in ''If Winter Comes'', later rem ...

as Cardinal Wolsey * Paulette Élambert as

Catherine de Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King H ...

(girl)

Critical reception

Writing for '' Night and Day'' in 1937,

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

gave the film a good review claiming that it "entertained me even more than it irritated me". Admitting some degree of distaste in director Guitry's general style and demeanor, Greene found admiration in Guitry's "ingenious[] attempts to give a wider circulation to a French picture by working the story out in three languages" and described his use of language in certain scenes as "cunningly and quite naturally arranged". Greene praised the story and the acting of Guitry and Delubac. ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' gave the film three out of four stars, writing, "Although Guitry chose to push the audience's patience a bit by filming the story in three languages, PEARLS OF THE CROWN is one of his finest works, and perhaps his least theatrical. (In French, Italian, and English; English subtitles)."

References

External links