Mademoiselle Fifi

SIMONE SIMON, who gained so much fame from her "Cat People" persona and a subsequent film called "Curse of the Cat People", appears here in an uneven costume drama adapted from two Guy DeMaupassant stories about class differences at the time of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and a young woman who has to assert herself when the going gets rough. She shows spirit in her offbeat role and the cast is a good one, featuring JOHN EMERY, ALAN NAPIER, KURT KREUGER and JASON ROBARDS, SR.

The coach scene that takes up the first twenty minutes or so of the story is reminiscent of "Stagecoach" in which the characters behave snobbishly toward Claire Trevor, as the prostitute with a heart of gold. Here it's SIMONE SIMON as a laundress with her own sense of pride, refusing to deal with the Prussians or Germans on any level, not even willing to do their laundry. Only when she offers food and drink to the other passengers, do they begin to find any good in her, at least temporarily.

Her loyalty to France makes her resist the request of the Prussian officer, KURT KREUGER, to dine with them when the passengers must stay over at an inn. The other passengers get together and force her to humble her patriotism for the sake of letting them go on with their journey. She complies and the next day when they resume their journey, the others are ungrateful to her and treat her shabbily again. JOHN EMERY tells them off and leaves the coach to meet up with her. She refuses to accept his apology for not taking a stronger stand in the resistance movement but changes her mind later when he does prove to be heroic.

The resistance message seems to reflect the type of WWII propaganda films Hollywood churned out during this period, but the film is an odd mixture of costume drama and patriotism under fire.

Not exactly a ground breaker, but interesting, especially for fans of Simone Simon's screen persona. Just why this particular story interested Val Lewton, considering his background as a man who preferred making horror films, is not clear to me.

like many movies from period, it is seductive for its atmosphere. it is a kind of Maupassant in American skin. nice, clean, melodramatic, with patriotic heart but , in same measure, good example for a manner to present a drama. sure, like many films of war , its purpose is obvious - to be model for viewers. but it is its sin. Simone Simon is perfect gem for a strange construction, without real story and almost confuse. Manichean lines of script, the good and bad characters, the message like stamp on letter, a great potential and fear to expose more than demand of rules. a film. like many. interesting seed for discover Maupassant work/style. and for hope to a better adaptation.

In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian war, gorgeous laundress Elisabeth Rousset (Simone Simon) is returning home in Cleresville in the occupied France with a snobbish and selfish group of aristocrats, businessmen and a young priest in a stagecoach. When they stop in a inn for the night, the arrogant Prussian Lt. von Eyrick (Kurt Kreuger), known by his alias Mademoiselle Fifi, decides to break the patriotism of Elisabeth and holds up the stagecoach until Elisabeth agrees to "have dinner" with him in his room. The selfish group forces Elisabeth to meet Mademoiselle Fifi, who humiliates her in his room. When the stagecoach finally departs, only Jean Cornudet (John Emery) and the priest comfort Elisabeth and Cornudet decides to stay in Cleresville to ask for forgiveness to Elisabeth. However she rejects his apologies but he decides to stay in the church to help the young priest to resist the Prussians that want him to ring the church bell. Meanwhile Elisabeth is forced to go to a party with Prussian officers where Mademoiselle Fifi is. What will happen to Elisabeth and Cornudet?

"Mademoiselle Fifi" is a dull tale of patriotism, with a story that shows the upper classes together with the enemy to keep their privileges and a simple laundress and a priest as symbols of the resistance and rejection of the enemies. The intention of "having dinner with the enemy in his room" is a very clear metaphor of the true intention of the Prussian office. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Mademoiselle Fifi"

This is a very interesting film directed by a very famous Hollywood Director, Robert Wise,"The Sound of Music","West Side Story" and many other famous films. This is a gem of a 1944 film starring Simone Simon, (Elizabeth Bousset),"The Curse of the Cat People" who plays the role of a young French Laundress who shares a coach ride during the Franco-Prussian War with some very important social superiors. These so called social superiors thought themselves better than Elizabeth, however, when they forgot to bring any food supplies on their journey, she furnished them with chicken she had prepared for herself and things changed. Kurt Kreuger, (Lt. Von Eyrick) is a Prussian soldier who tries to hit on Elizabeth and stops all the travelers from going on their journey until poor Elizabeth complies with his wishes. Jason Roboards,Sr., (Wholesaler in Wines) gave a great supporting role along with John Emery, (Jean Cornudet) who comes to the aid of Elizabeth along with a Priest who will not ring the church bells of his Parish in defiance of the Prussian Generals. Great Classic Film.

This is a World War II film set in France during the Franco-Prussian War which in real life was over in 6 months. This was not a global conflict with the soldiers of many nations trying to rescue France from invaders. The Germans occupied about a quarter to a third of France and in their stay never put France through the depradations of the 1940s. In fact their stay was climaxed by the crowning of Wilhelm I Emperor(Kaiser) of Germany at Versailles.

But that's not the message Hollywood was sending in those years. Simone Simon becomes the object of the affection of Prussian officer Kurt Kruger.. In the end she does her patriotic duty and so does John Emery in striking a blow for the resistance which there really wasn't any in that war.

The other bone of contention was the silence of the town church bell which for some reason has the occupying Prussians with their backs up. it rings, but at a price for the Prussians.

The cast does well by this historical claptrap in Mademoiselle Fifi.