Club de femmes

Jacques Deval was a practitioner of 'boulevard theatre', his most accomplished work being 'Tovaritch' which he tranferred to the screen in 1935. A year later comes 'Club de femmes' which features some fine sequences and excellent performances. The title refers to an hotel run by the well-intentioned but rather naive Mme Fargeton with the assistance of worldy-wise Doctor Audrey and designed to protect young women from the predatory beast that is Man. Not all of the inmates of course wish to be protected, notably Claire, whose attempts to smuggle her lover into her quarters provide some of the funniest moments and Greta who is on the hunt for a male with a big wallet, regardless of his age. Alice's tastes run to the Sapphic and her unrequited love for Juliette has since been pounced upon by 'academics' as an example of 'proto-lesbianism'. 1936 was a busy year for Danielle Darrieux with no less than six films released, notably 'Mayerling'. Although Josette Day's role as Beauty for Cocteau is iconic I consider her performance here as the dumb blonde to be her finest. Valentine Tessier excels as the doctor. An interesting credit is that of assistant director and co-editor Jean Delannoy! Considered rather daring at the time it is now rather quaint but has worn far better than the altogether inferior version made twenty years later.

CLUB DE FEMMES is a light comedy-drama about a women's residence similar to HOTEL FOR WOMEN or STAGE DOOR [minus the stage context and the witty repartee]. The 19 year-old Danielle Darrieux is charming [and gets top billing] as a dancer trying to sneak her boyfriend in "where no man can enter". More dramatic plot threads involve a tortured lesbian, a Danish gold-digger, and a switchboard operator who fronts for some kind of call-girl racket. Enjoyable for its fast pace, its generous acceptance of unwed motherhood [though not lesbianhood], and an elaborate Art Deco set. The director misses few opportunities to display cheesecake in bathing suits, nighties, and bath towels. The U.S. release print I saw runs only 88 minutes, which suggests some transatlantic cutting [this could explain some odd leaps in the plot].

Long before Ozon's "8 femmes"(2002) and even George Cukor's "Women"(1939) ,this is the first movie with an all-female cast -with one little exception-.And despite an awful sound ,it is a very enjoyable movie.By the way,the running time in France in about 92 min,so the precedent user did not miss much.It should be restored because of its poor quality.

It takes place in a no-man-enters boarding-house,but a big one :150 lodgers under a matronly watchful head's eye.This is a good-hearted woman beneath that severe exterior.The center of this rather comfortable place is a huge swimming-pool where the characters meet every day.

Danielle Darrieux is the only name which is still famous today:she is in "8 femmes " which I mention above.She is now a delightful old lady ,she was then a charming girl with a pouty mouth and a bright smile.In the movie ,she succeeds -which is a considerable feat- in bringing her squeeze into the house:she dresses him up as a woman and claims he's her first cousin.(She's nice ,says the head,while looking at this strange lodger,but how bad she walks!).It was probably influenced by "fanfare d'amour" (Richard Pottier,1935) which Billy Wilder remade as "some like it hot" in 1959.They will make (oh dear!) a baby in this honorable place,but she will be forgiven because... (well I won't give a clue)

What might seem stranger is the presence of a lesbian;at the time homosexuality was completely banned unless it was ridiculed like in "circonstances atténuantes" (1939) where a gay ended up married with children at the end.Here,the actress plays her character with conviction and subtlety:her problem lies in the fact she's in love with the dumbest girl in the house .In order to seduce her,she gives her spelling lessons.But her love cannot understand anything.Of course this subplot will all end in disaster,but the head's attitude -she probably understood the whole thing- is not what you would call "politically correct".This episode was certainly influenced by Léontine Sagan's "Mädchen in Uniform" (1931).

Men,go your way! says the head as she unveils the founder's bust.Later,it will snow on it and it 's a transparent metaphor:with one exception,every girl actually dreams of her Prince Charming.

If you like to look at pretty French girls, this is your movie. Actually, they are all young adult women. One of the problems with this film is getting a decent quality copy. After many attempts, I found a good copy at The Movie Detective. (I have no relationship with them other than being a customer.) In the version I received the English subtitles are part of the movie. If you understand French, you'll just have to ignore them. This is a light movie with some serious moments. The USA production code was in full effect at the time this movie was made. But the French were a little freer. So what do you get when you have a hotel full of young women? You get girl fun, and girl problems.

Thanks to a generous bequest, the Cite Femina opens in Paris, where director Ève Francis can have her fortress for young, virtuous women. Because of the low rents, single women flock there to make their unsteady way in the big city.

This movie reminded me of STAGE DOOR; it being a French movie, however, virtue does not reign supreme. There is a jealous Lesbian in the mix, and one of the young ladies sneaks her boyfriend in, dressed in women's clothing. She falls pregnant. And so forth. There's quite a cast, including Danielle Darrieux, Betty Stockfeld, Josette Day, and many other young actresses whose praises I would sing if I had a better grasp on French actresses in the period. It's frank, it's pleasant, and while not particularly a world-beater, I had a good time watching it.