Le Plaisir [House of Pleasure] **** (1952, Claude Dauphin, Jean Galland, Gaby Morlay, Madeleine Renaud, Daniel Gélin, Danielle Darrieux, Simone Simon, Jean Gabin) – Classic Movie Review 11,789

Director Max Ophüls’s 1952 black and white French comedy-drama anthology film Le Plaisir [House of Pleasure] is his delightful adaptation of three short stories by Guy de Maupassant linked by the theme of pleasure.

It features an elderly man who wears a special mask to bring back his former glories, a convention of elegant hookers from a brothel on their trip to a countryside village to support a girl at her First Communion, and an artist who marries his mistress.

All three stories are beautifully handled by Ophüls, who packs admirable brio into his filming style and great warmth into the script by Jacques Natanson and Max Ophüls.

There are particularly memorable performances from Jean Galland as the old man, Daniel Gélin as the artist and Madeleine Renaud as the brothel madam. The music is adapted from Offenbach by Joe Hajos.

The three short stories by Guy de Maupassant are: Le Masque (1889), La Maison Tellier (1881), and Le Modèle (1883).

The marvellous cast include Claude Dauphin, Gaby Morlay, Madeleine Renaud, Danielle Darrieux, Ginette Leclerc, Jean Gabin, Pierre Brasseur, Simone Simon, Daniel Gélin, Jean Servais, Jean Galland, Mila Parély, and Amédée.

German-born film director Max Ophüls (1902–1957). His films include Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Caught (1949), The Reckless Moment (1949), La Ronde (1950), Le Plaisir (1952), The Earrings of Madame de… (1953), Lola Montès (1955) and Montparnasse 19 (1958).

The Le Masque cast are Claude Dauphin as the doctor, Gaby Morlay as Ambroise’s wife Denise,  Paul Azaïs as a dance hall patron, Gaby Bruyère as Ambroise’s dance partner Frimousse, and Jean Galland as Ambroise.

The La Maison Tellier cast are Madeleine Renaud as Julia Tellier, Ginette Leclerc as Madame Flora, Mila Parély as Madame Raphaële, Danielle Darrieux as Madame Rosa, Pierre Brasseur as Julien Ledentu, Jean Gabin as Joseph Rivet, Amédée as Frédéric, Antoine Balpêtré as Monsieur Poulain, René Blancard as the mayor, Mathilde Casadesus as Madame Louise, Henri Crémieux as Monsieur Pimpesse, Arthur Devère as the train conductor, Paulette Dubost as Madame Fernande, Jocelyne Jany as Constance Rivet, Robert Lombard as Monsieur Philippe, Héléna Manson as Marie Rivet, and Georges Baconnet as client.

The La Maison Tellier cast are Jean Servais as Jean’s friend, Daniel Gélin as Jean the painter and Simone Simon as Joséphine the model.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,789

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