''The Curtain Rises'' () is a 1938 French

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

and starring

Louis Jouvet Jules Eugène Louis Jouvet (; 24 December 1887 – 16 August 1951) was a French actor, theatre director and filmmaker. Early life Jouvet was born in Crozon. He had a Stuttering, stutter as a young man and originally trained as a pharmac ...

, Claude Dauphin and

Odette Joyeux Odette Joyeux (5 December 1914 – 26 August 2000) was a French actress, playwright and novelist. Biography She was born in Paris, where she studied dance at the Paris Opera Ballet before taking the stage. Joyeux started her film career in 19 ...

.Andrew p.144 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 subsidiar ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and on location around the city. The film's sets were designed by the art directors

Jacques Krauss Jacques Krauss (21 October 1900 – 8 June 1957) was a French art director. He had a notable influence on the visual look of French poetic realist films before the Second World War, due to his work with Julien Duvivier.Andrew p.186 He was born i ...

and

Alexandre Trauner Alexandre Trauner (born Sándor Trau; 3 August 1906 in Budapest, Hungary – 5 December 1993 in Omonville-la-Petite, France) was a Hungarian film production designer. After studying painting at Hungarian Royal Drawing School, he left the c ...

Cast

as Le professeur Lambertin * Claude Dauphin as François Polti *

as Coecilia *

Janine Darcey Janine Darcey (14 January 1917 – 1 October 1993) was a French film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1936 and 1993. Partial filmography * ''La tendre ennemie'' (1936) - La cousine (uncredited) * '' Forty Little Mothers'' (1936) * ...

as Isabelle *

André Brunot André Brunot (3 October 1879 - 6 August 1973) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than twenty films from 1910 to 1966. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brunot, Andre 1879 births 1973 deaths French male ...

as Monsieur Grenaison *

Madeleine Lambert Madeleine Lambert (1892–1977) was a French stage, television and film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditi ...

as Élisabeth *

Roger Blin Roger Blin (22 March 1907 – 21 January 1984) was a French actor and director. He staged world premieres of Samuel Beckett's ''Waiting for Godot'' in 1953 and ''Endgame'' in 1957. Biography Blin was the son of a doctor; however, despite his ...

as Dominique *

Noël Roquevert Noël Roquevert (born Noël Louis Raymond Bénévent; 18 December 1892 – 6 November 1973) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1932 and 1972. Roquevert was born in Doué-la-Fontaine and was married ...

as Pignolet *

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) - Lepape * ''Seul'' (1932) - Michel * '' Fun in the Ba ...

as Lurette *

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) ...

as le juge d'instruction *

Bernard Blier Bernard Blier (; 11 January 1916 – 29 March 1989) was a French character actor. Life and career Blier was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his father, a researcher at the Pasteur Institute, was posted at the time. His rotund featu ...

as Pescani *

Yves Brainville Yves Brainville (; 8 March 1914 – 16 November 1993) was a French film and television actor.Hayward p.245 Selected filmography * ''Entrée des artistes'' (1938) - Sylvestre * '' Final Accord'' (1938) - Chenal - l'ami de Georges * ''Entente cor ...

as Sylvestre *

André Roussin André Roussin, (22 January 1911 – 3 November 1987), was a French playwright. Born in Marseille, he was elected to the Académie française on 12 April 1973. Biography Early life and education Born on 119 rue Paradis in Marseille, he was ...

as Giflard *

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 musical ...

as Jérome

Bibliography

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

References

External links

* 1938 films French crime films 1938 crime films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Marc Allégret Films shot at Epinay Studios French black-and-white films 1930s French films Films with screenplays by Henri Jeanson {{1930s-France-film-stub