Directed by Julien Duvivier • 1930 • France
Starring Dita Parlo, Ginette Maddie, Andrée Brabant
The final silent film directed by Julien Duvivier, this dazzling adaptation of a novel by Émile Zola harnesses the full expressive potential of the form to create a visual symphony of exquisite camera work, inventive editing, and lavish mise-en-scène. Dita Parlo (L’ATALANTE, GRAND ILLUSION) stars as a young woman from the country who goes to Paris hoping to work in her uncle’s tailor shop. A glittering modern department store that opens across the street threatens the family business, setting up a clash between old-world values and rapid capitalist modernization.
Up Next in Season 1
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The Lower Depths
Directed by Jean Renoir • 1936 • France
Starring Jean Gabin, Louis Jouvet, Suzy PrimJean Renoir’s fascinating adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s classic proletariat play softens the bleak social realism of the source material thanks to the director’s gently humanist, distinctly Gallic touch. Comedy an...
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They Were Five
Directed by Julien Duvivier • 1936 • France
Starring Jean Gabin, Charles Vanel, Raymond AimosWith more money comes more problems in this spirited comedic drama, a tribute to everyman camaraderie inspired by the optimistic socialism of the French Popular Front movement. Gallic cinema icons Jean ...
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The End of the Day
Directed by Julien Duvivier • 1939 • France
Starring Victor Francen, Michel Simon, Louis JouvetA bittersweet reflection on aging, mortality, and the memories and regrets that make up a lifetime, this affecting tragicomedy centers on a coterie of broke, washed-up actors now living in a retiremen...
