Poil de Carotte **** (1932, Harry Baur, Robert Lynen, Christiane Dor, Catherine Fonteney, Louis Gauthier) Classic Movie Review 11,353

The 1930s French child star Robert Lynen was discovered for films by Julien Duvivier and during World War Two became a French Resistance hero.

Excellent black and white photography, brilliant performances and an outstanding script combine to delight in writer-director Julien Duvivier’s vintage 1932 French film story of childhood, Poil de Carotte [Redhead], based on the novel by Jules Renard.

An oppressed red-headed young boy, François Lepic, called ‘Poil de Carotte’ (Robert Lynen), is misunderstood and mistreated by his monstrous mother, Madame Lepic (Catherine Fonteney), until he is pushed over the edge. Harry Baur stars as the weak but kindly father, Monsieur Lepic.

Age has slightly withered this French pre-war classic, but it is still an impressive achievement.

Duvivier remakes his own 1926 silent, Poil de Carotte, with Henry Krauss, Charlotte Barbier-Krauss, and André Heuzé .

It is remade again in 1973.

Also in the cast are Christiane Dor as the maid Annette, Marthe Marty as the old maid Honorine, Louis Gauthier as the godfather, Simone Aubry, Maxime Fromiot, and Colette Segall.

Poil de Carotte [Redhead] is directed by Julien Duvivier, runs 94 minutes, is made by Les Films Marcel Vandal et Charles Delac and Film D’Art, is released by Pathé-Natan (1932) (France), is written by Julien Duvivier, based on the novel by Jules Renard, is shot in black and white by Armand Thirard and Emil Monniot, is produced by Charles Delac and Marcel Vandal, and scored by Alexander Tansman [Alexandre Tansman].

It is released in The Criterion Collection in 2015 in the US on DVD.

Robert Lynen (1920–1944), arrested, tortured and executed by the Germans, aged 23.

It is Robert Lynen’s first film. He made 13 films. The French child star of the 1930s Robert Lynen was discovered for films by Julien Duvivier. He was arrested by the Gestapo on 7 February 1943 for belonging to the Alliance French Resistance group. He was tortured and sentenced to death at a military trial and shot in Karlsruhe fortress on 1 April 1944 along with 14 other members of the Resistance. He was aged 23.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,353

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