''Twisted Mistress'' () is a 1942 French

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

André Cayatte André Cayatte (; 3 February 1909 – 6 February 1989) was a French filmmaker, writer and lawyer, who became known for his films centering on themes of crime, justice, and moral responsibility. Biography Cayatte began his directoral career at ...

and starring

Danielle Darrieux Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer. Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...

and

Lise Delamare Lise Delamare (born Jolyse Effrey Jeanne Delamare; 9 April 1913 – 25 July 2006) was a French stage and film actress. Partial filmography * ''George and Georgette'' (1934) * ''Les précieuses ridicules'' (1934) * '' Pension Mimosas'' (1935) � ...

. It is inspired by the 1841 novel '' La Fausse Maîtresse'' by

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

. It was made at the

Billancourt Studios Billancourt Studios was a film studio in Paris which operated between 1922 and 1992. Located in Boulogne-Billancourt, it was one of the leading French studios.Szczepanik & Vonderau p.141 It was founded in the silent era by Henri Diamant-Berger. Dur ...

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 ...

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. When filmmaking professionals refer to shooting "on location", they are ...

took place around

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon (; ; ) is a former regions of France, administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, it joined with the region of Midi-Pyrénées to become Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It comprised five departments o ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Andrej Andrejew Andrej is the form of the given name Andrew used in Slovak, Croatian and Slovene. Notable individuals with the given name Andrej *Andrej Babiš (born 1954), Czech politician *Andrej Bajuk (1943–2011), Slovene politician and economist *Andrej ...

. It was released on VHS in France by

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...

Vidéo on 1 January 1998. It tells the story of a circus owner's daughter, who plays on a rope, sings two songs, and falls in love with a local rugby player.

Cast

as Lilian Rander *

as Hélène Carbonnel, the wife of Guy Carbonnel *

Monique Joyce Monique Joyce (1912–1994) was a French model, singer and actress.Burch & Sellier p.157 She began her career appearing in the Opéra comique. After winning the Mademoiselle Paris contest in March 1933, she received greater public attention and m ...

as Lætitia *

Huguette Vivier Huguette is a feminine French given name. Notable people with the name include: * Huguette Bello (born 1950), politician from Reunion * Huguette Béolet (1919–unknown), French table tennis player * Huguette Bouchardeau (born 1935), French politic ...

as Marina *

Gabrielle Fontan Gabrielle Fontan (16 April 1873 – 8 September 1959) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 120 films between 1927 and 1959. Selected filmography * '' Misdeal'' (1928) * '' The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard'' (1929) * '' The La ...

as Madame Carbonnel *

Bernard Lancret Bernard Lancret (4 September 1912 – 5 September 1983) was a French film actor. He appeared in over thirty films between 1935 and 1956 in a mixture of leading and supporting roles. He played the composer Franz Schubert in the 1940 film '' Séré ...

as René Rivals *

André Alerme André Alerme (9 September 1877 – 31 January 1960) was a French actor. Alerme was born Marie André Alerme in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France and died at the age of 82 in Montrichard, Loir-et-Cher, France. Selected filmography * ''Black and Wh ...

as Rander *

Jacques Dumesnil Jacques Dumesnil (born Marie Émile Eugène André Joly; 9 November 1903 – 8 May 1998) was a French film actor, film and television actor. Early life Jacques Dumesnil was born as Marie Émile Eugène André Joly on 9 November 1903, in Paris ...

as Guy Carbonnel *

Guillaume de Sax Guillaume de Sax (1889–1945) was a Belgian actor. De Sax was born Guillaume Henri Robert de Segur Lamoignon in Belgium and died in France. He was married to the actress Cécile Sorel. Partial filmography * '' Ernest the Rebel'' (1938) * '' Thr ...

as Esquirol *

Michel Duran Michel Duran, pen name of Michel Joseph Durand (22 April 1900, in Lyon – 18 February 1994, in Rambouillet) was a French actor, author, dialoguist and screenwriter. He was the son of Michel Jacques Durand and Marie Exbrayat.Archives municipales ...

as Mazios *

André Gabriello André Gabriello (1896–1975) was a French film actor. A character actor known for his supporting roles, notable appearances included Jean Renoir's '' Partie de campagne'' (1936) and Maurice Tourneur's '' Cecile Is Dead'' (1944).Waldman p.16 ...

as L'huissier *

Charles Blavette Charles Blavette (24 June 1902 – 21 November 1967) was a French film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1933 and 1966. Selected filmography * ''Jofroi'' (1934) – Antoine * '' Angèle'' (1934) – Tonin * ''Toni'' (1935) – Antonio ...

as Casimir *

Maurice Baquet Maurice Louis Baquet (26 May 1911 – 8 July 2005) was a French actor and cellist. He was born in Villefranche-sur-Saône and died in Noisy-le-Grand.Marcel Maupi Marcel Maupi, stage name of Marcel Louis Alexandre Barberin or Maupi, (6 November 1881, Marseille – 4 January 1949, Antibes) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''Dance Hall'' (1931) * '' Marius'' (1931) * '' Fanny'' (1932) * '' The Iron ...

as Bellemain * Albert Rieux as Rigaux

References

Bibliography

* Burch, Noël & Sellier, Geneviève. ''The Battle of the Sexes in French Cinema, 1930–1956''. Duke University Press, 2013. * Leteux, Christine. ''Continental Films: French Cinema under German Control''. University of Wisconsin Press, 2022.

External links

*
''La fausse maîtresse''
at AlloCine 1942 films French black-and-white films Films based on works by Honoré de Balzac Films directed by André Cayatte Films scored by Maurice Yvain French comedy films 1942 comedy films 1940s French-language films Continental Films films 1940s French films Films shot at Billancourt Studios Films produced by Alfred Greven French-language comedy films {{1940s-France-film-stub