Idol of Paris
| The Idol of Paris | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Leslie Arliss |
| Written by | Stafford Dickens Norman Lee Hery Ostrer |
| Produced by | R.J. Minney executive Maurice Ostrer |
| Starring | Beryl Baxter Michael Rennie Christine Norden Andrew Cruickshank Kenneth Kent Margaretta Scott Miles Malleson |
| Cinematography | Jack E. Cox |
| Edited by | Bert Bates |
| Music by | Mischa Spoliansky (composer), Louis Levy (musical director) |
| Distributed by | Premier Productions Ltd Warner Brothers (US) |
Release date | 1948 |
Running time | 106 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | less than £100,000[1][2] |
Idol of Paris is a 1948 film based on the novel Paiva, Queen of Love by Alfred Schirokauer, about a mid-19th century French courtesan Theresa who sleeps her way from poverty to the top of Second Empire society. It was an attempt by its makers to imitate the success of the Gainsborough melodramas.
Cast
- Beryl Baxter – Theresa
- Michael Rennie – Hertz, one of Theresa's lovers
- Christine Norden – Cora Pearl
- Miles Malleson – Offenbach
- Andrew Osborn – Antoine
- Andrew Cruickshank – Prince Nicholas
- Kenneth Kent – Emperor Napoleon
- Margaretta Scott – Empress Eugenie
- Patti Morgan – Bellanger
- Genine Graham – Barucci
- Henry Oscar – Lachman
- Sybille Binder – Mrs. Lachman
- Leslie Perrins – Count Paiva
- Campbell Cotts – George Tremer Sr.
- John Penrose – George Cremer Jr.
- April Stride as Countess de Molney
- Donald Gray as Police Inspector
- June Holden as Marie
- Frederick Bradshaw as Chamberlain
- Marianne Stone as Theresa's Secretary
Production
The film was produced by Maurice Ostrer who moved into independent production after leaving Gainsborough Pictures. He set up his own company, Premier Productions, and made the film in association with R.J. Minney and Leslie Arliss who had all collaborated on The Wicked Lady. It was shot at MGM's British studios.[3]
Reception
The movie was not a financial success and led to Maurice Ostrer quitting the film business for good. The careers of Leslie Arliss and Beryl Baxter never recovered either.[4][1][5]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that "the film is over-exaggerated in every detail and will appeal only to the very unsophisticated."[6]
References
- ^ a b Maurice Ostrer at Britmovie
- ^ Robert Murphy, Gainsborough's Producers
- ^ "BRITISH FILMS". The Sun. No. 2317. Sydney. 7 September 1947. p. 19. Retrieved 13 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Murphy, Robert (2003). Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Routledge. pp. 120–121.
- ^ Maurice Ostrer at BFI Screenonline
- ^ Idol of Paris Monthly Film Bulletin; London15.169 (Jan 1, 1948): 30.
External links
- Idol of Paris at IMDb
- The Idol of Paris at AllMovie
- Review of film at Variety
- Idol of Paris at BFI
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