French Without Tears (film)

1939 film

  • 1939 (1939)
Running time
86 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

French Without Tears is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Ray Milland. It was based on the 1936 play of the same name by Terence Rattigan, who also co-wrote the script. An on-off working relationship between Asquith and Rattigan began with this film and continued over the next 15 years.[1][2]

Plot

The love affairs are depicted of three young Englishmen at a language "cramming" school in the south of France. Diana, the sister of one of the boys, arrives in town to flirt with all of her brothers' schoolmates.[3]

Cast

  • Ray Milland as Alan Howard
  • Ellen Drew as Diana Lake
  • Janine Darcey as Jacqueline Maingot
  • David Tree as Chris Neilan
  • Roland Culver as Cmdr. Bill Rogers
  • Guy Middleton as Brian Curtis
  • Kenneth Morgan as Kenneth Lake
  • Margaret Yarde as Marianne
  • Toni Gable as Chi-Chi
  • Jim Gérald as Professor Maingot
  • Mantovani as Himself - Orchestra Leader

Critical reception

Sky Movies described a "sparkling version of Terence Rattigan's comedy play. The import of Ellen Drew and Ray Milland from Hollywood ensured the film's success world-wide."[1] Writing for Allmovie, Hal Erickson wrote, "much of the wit and zest of the original stage production has been blunted for the screen, moving one critic to describe French Without Tears as 'Comedy Without Laughs'. In all fairness, however, the film does boast a hilarious drunk scene in a musty old French wine cellar."[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "French Without Tears - Sky Movies HD". Skymovies.sky.com. 23 May 2002. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b "French Without Tears (1939) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  3. ^ "French without Tears | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  • French Without Tears at IMDb
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Films directed by Anthony Asquith
Feature films
Short films
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  • e
Plays
  • First Episode (1933)
  • A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
  • French Without Tears (1936)
  • After the Dance (1939)
  • Follow My Leader (1940)
  • Grey Farm (1940)
  • Flare Path (1942)
  • While the Sun Shines (1943)
  • Love In Idleness (1944)
  • The Winslow Boy (1946)
  • The Browning Version (1948)
  • Harlequinade (1948)
  • Adventure Story (1949)
  • Who Is Sylvia? (1950)
  • The Deep Blue Sea (1952)
  • The Sleeping Prince (1953)
  • Separate Tables (1954)
  • Variation on a Theme (1958)
  • Ross (1960)
  • Man and Boy (1963)
  • A Bequest to the Nation (1970)
  • In Praise of Love (1973)
  • Before Dawn (1973)
  • All on Her Own (1974)
  • Cause Célèbre (1975/77)
Films and TV
Related works