Antoine et Antoinette [Antoine and Antoinette] **** (1947, Roger Pigaut, Claire Mafféi, Noël Roquevert, Gaston Modot, Gérard Oury, Annette Poivre) – Classic Movie Review 8673

Director Jacques Becker’s charming 1947 French black and white film Antoine et Antoinette [Antoine and Antoinette] is a lighthearted, well observed romantic comedy drama about an everyday young couple, printer Antoine (Roger Pigaut) and shopgirl Antoinette (Claire Mafféi).

Antoinette buys a national lottery ticket, and they win the lottery. But Antoine loses the winning ticket, leading to a frantic search for it.

Antoine et Antoinette [Antoine and Antoinette] is very well made by an on-form expert, director Becker, partly on appealing Parisian exteriors, partly in the studio at Franstudio, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France. Noël Roquevert is outstanding as the grocer Monsieur Roland, who makes unwanted attentions to Antoinette. Nowadays he’d be called a sexual predator.

With the expert screenplay by Françoise Giroud, Maurice Griffe and Jacques Becker, it is all extremely winning. Becker won the Prix du meilleur film psychologique et d’amour [Prize for Best Psychological and Love Film] at the Cannes Film Festival in 1947.

Also in the cast are Annette Poivre, Jacques Meyran, Gaston Modot, Gérard Oury, Paulette Jan, François Jou, Pierre Trabaud, Made Siamé, Huguette Saget, Charles Camus and Émile Drain.

It was shot between 3 November 1946 and 3 May 1947.

Antoine et Antoinette [Antoine and Antoinette] is directed by Jacques Becker, runs 98 minutes, is made by SNEG and Gaumont, is released by Gaumont (1947) (France) and Siritzky International Pictures Corporation (1948) (US), is written by Françoise Giroud, Maurice Griffe and Jacques Becker, is shot by Pierre Montazel and is scored by Jean-Jacques Grunenwald.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8673

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