Monsieur Vincent *** (1947, Pierre Fresnay, Aimé Clariond, Jean Debucourt, Lise Delamare, Gabrielle Dorziat, Pierre Dux) – Classic Movie Review 11,611

Popular and respected in its day, Maurice Cloche’s sincere and moving award-winning 1947 French film Monsieur Vincent tells episodically the story of Vincent de Paul, the 17th century priest, charity worker, social worker and saint, struggling to help the poor in the face of the Black Death.

Pierre Fresnay’s wholehearted performance as Vincent, in which he ages skillfully, succeeds by its sincerity and by avoiding the dramatic pitfall of extreme piety.

It won the honorary Academy Award as the Best Foreign Language Film in 1949 and Fresnay won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at Venice Film Festival in 1947.

Also in the cast are Aimé Clariond as Cardinal Richelieu, Jean Debucourt as Philippe-Emmanuel de Gondi, Lise Delamare as Madame de Gondi, Germaine Dermoz : Queen Anne of Austria, Gabrielle Dorziat as President Goussault, Pierre Dux as Chancellor Séguier, Yvonne Gaudeau as Louise de Marillac, Jean Carmet as Father Portail and Michel Bouquet as TB sufferer.

The Vatican placed it on its list of approved films in the Religion category in 1995.

Monsieur Vincent is directed by Maurice Cloche, runs 113 minutes, is made by EDIC and UGC, is released by L’Alliance Générale de Distribution Cinématographique (1947 French release) and Lopert Pictures (1948 US release) is written by Jean-Bernard Luc and Jean Anouilh, is shot in black and white by Claude Renoir, is produced by Viscount George de la Grandiere, and scored by Jean-Jacques Grünenwald.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,611

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