The Curtain Rises

The Curtain Rises (1938) - (Oriignal french title : « Entrée des artistes »)

(Please note that some of the following content reveals part of the film's plot)

THE FILM'S ENTRANCE BY THE ARTISTS*)

And who better than Louis Jouvet to play the role of "Lambertin", a drama teacher? A renowned actor of stage and screen, Jouvet possesses a natural authority and leaves no doubt that he knows what he's talking about, although his character is far from sympathetic. The harshness of his teaching is merely an antechamber to prepare, if not select, for the difficulty of the future life of actors, of which only a small number will be able to lay claim. The rest will have to find another profession.

Jouvet is surrounded by a chorus of very talented young actors, all now deceased. Janine Darcey is astounding in the role of "Isabelle", fragile and big-hearted, in perfect contrast to "Cécilia" played by Odette Joyeux, who looks like a shrew. Claude Dauphin may be a little too old to be entirely convincing as the student actor, but his charisma and boyish charms make him an obvious choice for the role of "François", the naive lover. Bernard Blier, Noël Roquevert, Roger Blin and Julien Carette are other familiar faces to keep an eye on.

Marcel Dalio almost steals the final act in the role of an examining magistrate. During the Occupation, the film was released a second time, the first on October 06, 1938, with all the scenes featuring Marcel Dalio, a Jewish actor whose photos had been used for German propaganda posters with the caption: "Le Juif typique" ("The typical Jew"), turned upside down. He was replaced by Fred Pasquali and, strangely enough, Marcel Dalio's original voice was retained in the second version. It wasn't until July 1944, when the film was released for the third time, that the original version with Dalio's voice was restored.

The film revolves around Isabelle (Janine Darcey), a 17-year-old budding drama student, who begins to make...