''Mr. Orchid'' () is a 1946 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films ''The Battle of the Rails'' (1946), ''Forbidden Games'' (1952), ''Gervaise (film), Gervaise'' (1956), ''Purple No ...

and starring

Noël-Noël Noël-Noël (born Lucien Noël; 9 August 1897 – 5 October 1989) was a French actor and screenwriter. Partial filmography * ''La prison en folie'' (1931) − Yves Larsac * '' When Do You Commit Suicide?'' (1931) − Léon Mirol * '' Mistigri ...

Paul Frankeur Paul Frankeur (29 June 1905 – 27 October 1974) was a French actor who had a successful Hollywood career and appeared in films by Jacques Tati'','' such as ''Jour de fête'' and Luis Buñuel, including ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' ...

and

Nadine Alari Nadine Alari (born Bernadette Nicole Frédérique Bovarie; 23 February 1927 – 24 November 2016) was a French film and television actress. Selected filmography * ''Jericho'' (1946) * '' The Lovers of Pont Saint Jean'' (1947) * '' Tuesday' ...

.Williams p.281 It was entered into the

1946 Cannes Film Festival The 1st annual Cannes Film Festival was held from 20 September to 5 October 1946. Twenty-one countries presented their films at the "First Cannes International Film Festival", which took place at the former Casino of Cannes. Only one year after t ...

. It was shot at the

Cité Elgé Cité Elgé () were French film studios located in 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 Jan ...

studios in

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 ...

. 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 ...

Lucien Carré Lucien Carré (born 1904) was a French art directorCapua p.127 active in the French cinema designing film sets from the late 1920s to the late 1950s. He worked frequently with the director André Hunebelle as well as Julien Duvivier and Anatole ...

Synopsis

In a little town in the south-west of France during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

, Édouard Martin handles the insurance needs of his fellow citizens and also, unknown to his family, is the local head of the Resistance. An officer in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he runs his network on disciplined lines, following orders from headquarters in London, who supply radios and arms by air. When a stranger named Jourdan is parachuted in and wants to mount dangerous attacks, he deduces that the man is an imposter and has him shot. Called in for questioning and asked if he knows Jourdan, he says the man is a

Gaullist Gaullism ( ) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle withdrew French forces from t ...

bastard. “Oh”, says the German officer, “He' s one of our agents, but seems to have gone missing.” When it becomes apparent that the Germans are using a factory near his house to build mini-submarines, he asks for the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

to destroy it. Since a raid might damage his own house and those of his neighbours, he asks them all to a dinner party in a restaurant. The pretext is the engagement of one of Édouard's deputies, Pelletier, who is in love with his daughter Monique.

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

bombers flatten the factory and the Germans, deducing that Édouard must have known in advance, arrest him. Damaged but alive, he is rescued by his network and, when the Germans retreat in 1944, reunited with his proud family.

Cast

as Édouard Martin *

as Simon *

as Monique Martin * José Artur as Pierre Martin *

Claire Olivier Claire Olivier (1892-1974) was a French stage film and television actress. Turk p.441 A character actress, she generally appeared in supporting roles in French cinema. Selected filmography * '' A Picnic on the Grass'' (1937) * '' The Train for ...

as Madame Martin *

Jeanne Herviale Jeanne Herviale (24 December 1908 – 29 October 1989) was a French actress. She appeared in 85 films and television shows between 1946 and 1989. Partial filmography * '' Mr. Orchid'' (1946) – Marie * '' The Damned'' (1947) – La bonne ...

as Marie *

Marcel Delaître Marcel Delaître (1888–1963) was a French film and stage actor.Crisp p.94 Selected filmography * '' Happy Hearts'' (1932) * ''Lilac'' (1932) * '' Poliche'' (1934) * ''Street Without a Name'' (1934) * ''Crime and Punishment'' (1935) * '' Girls ...

as Charrat * Jean Lara as Pelletier *

Maurice Chevit Maurice Chevit (31 October 1923 – 2 July 2012) was a French actor. Maurice Chevit made his theatrical début just after the Second World War, and made his first screen appearance in 1946 in René Clément's film ''Le Père tranquille''. ...

as Un maquisard * Alice Leitner as Madame Renaud * Georges Questau as le proviseur * Simone Lestan as la résistante à vélo * Maurice Salabert as Le boucher * Jaqueline Lefer as la femme de ménage, résistante * Pierre Noël as le garçon de café *

Howard Vernon Mario Walter Lippert (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996), better known by his stage name Howard Vernon, was a Swiss actor and photographer. He had an extensive career in French cinema which spanned nearly 200 productions over 55 years, betwee ...

as Le lieutenant Fleischer, l'officier allemand

References

Bibliography

* Crisp, Colin. ''French Cinema—A Critical Filmography: Volume 2, 1940–1958''. Indiana University Press, 2015. * Williams, Alan. ''Republic of Images: A History of French Filmmaking''. Harvard University Press, 1992.

External links

* 1946 films 1940s French-language films 1946 drama films French black-and-white films Films directed by René Clément French drama films 1940s French films Films about the French Resistance Films scored by René Cloërec Films shot at Cité Elgé Studios {{1940s-France-film-stub