Das Geheimnis von St. Agil

The film is set in the boarding school of St. Agil where 3 pupils - Marcel Mouloudji (Macroix), Serge Grave (Baume) and Jean Claudio (Sorgue) - form a secret society whose aim is to escape to America. They meet in a classroom after lights out in the dormitory to bond their commitments to one another. One day, however, one of the pupils goes missing. Then another....

This film keeps you hooked on the mystery and the cast all perform convincingly. We have 2 sets of players - the schoolkids and the teachers - who belong to very different clubs with their own in-fighting amongst themselves.

The set-up in the dormitory is much better than what I experienced when I was at boarding school in Switzerland. We had an open plan room with bunk-beds for 20 - 30 children whilst these guys get a curtained-off area for privacy between each bed. The shenanigans are still the same, however, eg, meeting up and sneaking off after lights out. In my day, it was midnight feasts, carrying out pranks like swapping everyone's slippers around and meeting at a football pitch for a game at midnight. We had to exit and re-enter the school through a window and it was instant expulsion if caught leaving the school premises. 100% record - never caught! Apart from being busted for the slipper swap for which, ironically, I got the slipper! It was one of the favoured forms of punishment at that time. So, I revisited some good memories watching this film. It is also a gripping tale and recommended.

This is a first class version of Pierre Very's 'detective novel for children'. Christian-Jaque is the director and the atmosphere is provided by cinematographer Marcel Julien with a wonderfully 'spooky' score by Henri Verdun. Here we have a truly amazing bunch of unique, eccentric actors the likes of whom we will never see again. What can one say about Erich von Stroheim, Michel Simon and Robert le Vigan? The latter skipped parole and fled to Argentina while serving a sentence for his fascist sympathies. Von Stroheim created a persona for himself as an Austrian aristocrat although he was in fact the son of a lower-middle class Jewish hatter. Simon much preferred living with animals than humans and kept pet monkeys. They are all splendid in this of course and Simon does a wonderful 'drunk'. Good support by Armand Bernard as a rather neurotic concierge and Aimee Clariond of the Comedie Francaise who never seemed to be out of work, as the headmaster. The boys are excellent, notably Marcel Mouloudji who later found renown as a chanteur and was highly effective in Cayatte's 'Nous sommes tous les assassins' and Jean Claudio who played Dmitri in L'Herbier's 'Rasputin'. Apparently Serge Reggiani and Charles Aznavour, uncredited, play schoolboys. I certainly didn't spot them but I suppose if I made the effort I just might. Great entertainment and one of Christian-Jaque's best. Herbert Lom once said that making a film involves a collection of egomaniacs trying to give the impression of working as part of a team. This film brought his observation to mind!

I have seen German boy's school (All Quiet on the Western Front), UK boy's school (Goodbye, Mr. Chips), and American boy's school (Dead Poet's Society). So, now was my time to check out the French version of Boys School. Let us just say that the other countries did it a bit better. It is a good try, but no cigar, despite some interesting performances. Erich von Stroheim is always fun to watch, and the rest of the cast is fine. The writing is just weaker than the other countries' counterparts. Harmless fun.

At a boarding school, three boys -- Serge Grave, Marcel Mouloudji, and Jean Claudio -- have formed a secret society with the skeleton in the science class room. Their purpose is to go to America, where they can be free. After a meeting, Claudio sees Robert Le Vignan appear suddenly, then disappear as suddenly. The next day, modern language teacher Erich von Stroheim -- who is always being teased into a rage by art teacher Michel Simon -- announces they will be studying H. G. Wells' THE INVISIBLE MAN. Claudio insists on talking about the man who keeps appearing and disappearing, so von Stroheim sends him to the headmaster, Aimé Clariond. Clariond remonstrates with him, and Claudio leaves.... and disappears. Grave and Mouloudji think he has gone to America, particularly when Grave receives a postcard from New York from Claudio, which von Stroheim steals. Then Mouloudji disappears. Simon gets drunk and when the lights cut out, tumbles to his death. Then Grave disappears. Where have they gone? And where did Simon get the money to purchase half a dozen original Durers?

Christian-Jaque is not considered a great director, but his work was always solid, and commercially successful. Here, working with a script partly derived from a Victor Hugo play, he offers a tale of three imaginative boys at a second-rate school, where the teachers know they've reached a dead end. He gives Simon a fine, unlikable role, and von Stroheim a chance to play with his usual screen image in an unlikely way, as well as a finale that echoes ZERO DE CONDUITE in a very amusing manner.

Charles Aznavour plays one of the students in his second screen appearance. I didn't recognize him as a 13-year-old boy.

A residential boys' school full of almost same aged boys fall into a great mystery when two of the boys goes missing. The closest friend of the two missing boys takes steps to uncover the mystery.

I liked this movie very much despite it being very old one, almost 100 years back. The director is very good. The script is tight and solid. 100% RECOMMENDED.