''The Last Billionaire'' (French: ''Le dernier milliardaire'') is a 1934 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

and starring Max Dearly,

Marthe Mellot Marthe Mellot (16 February 1870 - 13 August 1947) was a French film actress. Marthe Mellot was born in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, Nièvre, France, and died in Paris. Selected filmography * ''Feu Mathias Pascal'' (1925) * ''The Red Robe'' (1933) * ...

and

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. ...

.BFI.org
/ref> The film is based on a fictional small European kingdom which is on the verge of going broke. It was shot at the

Joinville Studios The Joinville Studios were a film studio in Paris which operated between 1910 and 1987. They were one of the leading French studios, with major companies such as Pathé and Gaumont making films there. A second studio was added to the original ...

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 ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Lucien Aguettand and Lucien Carré. It was the last film Clair made in France until 1947, as he moved to Britain and then the United States.

Cast

* Max Dearly as Banco *

as Queen of Casinario *

as Princess Isabelle * Sinoël as Prime Minister *

Charles Redgie Charles Redgie was a French-based film actor who appeared in thirty six productions between 1930 and 1939.Goble p.385 He starred in the French-language film ''Captain Craddock'' (1931) and its English-language version '' Monte Carlo Madness'' (1932 ...

as Crown Prince Nicolas * Marcel Carpentier as Detective Brown *

Paul Ollivier François Hilarion Paul Olivari, stage name Paul Ollivier (10 February 1876 - 10 June 1948) was a French film actor. Selected filmography * ''The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge'' (1925) * ''The Queen of Moulin Rouge'' (1926) * ''The Imaginary Voyag ...

as Chamberlain * Raymond Cordy as Valet * José Noguero as Bandleader * Raymond Aimos as Le mendiant * Christian Argentin as Le ministre des finances *

Jean Aymé Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

as Un ministre * Eddy Debray as Un ministre

References

Bibliography

* Dudley Andrew. ''Mists of Regret: Culture and Sensibility in Classic French Film''. Princeton University Press, 1995.

External links

* 1934 films 1934 comedy films 1930s French-language films French black-and-white films Films directed by René Clair French comedy films Pathé films Films shot at Joinville Studios 1930s French films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub