L'aventure vient de la mer

This film was shot in Mendocino County and should be in the list of films shot in that area. The creek itself is the Albion River. The boat used in the film was left in the river and was resting on the bottom when I saw it and boarded it in 1944 or 5. My grandparents had an orchard and farm outside the community of Albion. A couple of the crew members stayed at their place when the film was being shot. There were some other locations on the coast that were used as well. The residence was removed and just the leveled field it was situated on and the plants the studio planted to surround the site remained for many years after. This location was outside of Albion near dark Gulch and was just west of highway 1 that runs along the coast in Mendocino and adjacent counties as far south as San Simeon. I have never seen the complete film, so would not to vote on it at this time.

The absolutely gorgeous color cinematography and the Academy Award winning sets are the main reason that you should Frenchman's Creek today. The players definitely take second place to those outstanding features.

The plot at least as it has been altered by the Code is handled with as much skill as the cast can muster covering up some glaring holes. Joan Fontaine is one unhappily married lady of the manor with two small children and a husband who seems more intent on advancing his career in Restoration Great Britain than in her. As was the fashion of that bawdy era husband Ralph Forbes even encourages his wife to pay attention to the courting of his rakish friend Basil Rathbone to Fontaine. When at court many men even pimped their wives for Charles II, this behavior in that era isn't surprising.

Well Fontaine can't stand Rathbone so she and the kids take off for the summer place on the Cornwall coast. There's a servant there with a French accent, Cecil Kellaway and later she learns it's been inhabited discreetly by French pirate Arturo De Cordova. He's quite the charmer, if the film were done at Warner Brothers Errol Flynn would have had the part.

Joan and Arturo as a couple look like they come right out of one of those romance novels. She even takes up the cutlass with him and she proves to be every bit the swordsman he is.

The title of the film comes from a hidden cove near Fontaine's manor where De Cordova's ship lays anchor.

Other more recent versions of the story by Daphne Du Maurier have been made that are closer to the original. I can't reveal it, but the ending makes absolutely no sense at all. And it is NOT as Du Maurier wrote it originally.

Maybe that was part of the reason that Mexican film idol Arturo De Cordova never got stardom north of the border. He appeared in this film, in a supporting role in For Whom the Bell Tolls and another Paramount feature and then went back to Mexico where he was a leading figure in Latino cinema for the next quarter of a century. De Cordova reminds me a lot of his fellow countryman, Gilbert Roland.

Rathbone is a nasty villain and there's also a nice performance by Nigel Bruce as a fatheaded earl who is a Cornwall neighbor. It's the only time that Basil and Nigel did a film together not as Holmes and Watson.

Mitchell Leisen directed this film and did a good job given the Code restrictions he operated under. Leisen early in his career worked on several Cecil B. DeMille films and his photography and sets definitely have a DeMille look to them.

If you like romantic tales, despite the problems, Frenchman's Creek is one for you.

A fun movie to watch. Joan Fontaine was never more beautiful. The sets and costumes are absolutely breathtaking and Basil Rathbone completely steals the show. This film has all the elements of a good adventure yarn.

In examining this well-done film,I find myself in disagreement with one of the other critics,in terms of regarding the performances of some of the supporting players.Where do we start?

1)Nigel Bruce is doing his usual blundering,obtuse,blithering,pompous oaf,as we have seen in numerous other films.In this picture,however,his character is not as benign as we have witnessed elsewhere.

2.)Cecil Kellaway,as William,is doing a masterpiece.His character is sly,wise,verbally adroit,socially adept,sensitive,and intuitive.This is the sort of fellow we would wish to have as the major-domo,or butler.

3.)Forbes,as Harry,does well in what happens to be an extremely thankless role.Dona's husband is a clod and a buffoon.He is a self-centered,selfish,immature man,who married for all of the wrong reasons(although the right ones for that period.)He wanted to have a beautiful wife,who would provide him with sexual companionship,company,and would handle all of the business aspects while he could go out with his pals and have a good time.He's not only NOT interested in handling his end of the relationship,but he puts her in the way of Lord Rockingham,even though he knows that she finds his attentions repugnant.it's not easy to do this kind of part,but he does carry it off.

...or at least women love people who can take them away from a humdrum life ."The Frenchman's creek" could be only just dream.That it was written by Du Maurier is not surprising: "Rebecca"-which featured the same actress- had something dreamlike ,something like a fairy tale with a witch.

A socialite, a distinguished lady of Old England sees time passing her by,with a not-so-handsome husband who is anything but romantic.This lady wants something else ,something more than merely sexual ,or else she would have picked up a young lover in the aristocracy.A revealing scene shows her playing with her children ; ladies from long ago did not do so: their nannies used to do that job.When she sails away with her pirate,it's some kind of game with big children who themselves play -see they them put on the ladies' clothes- or spend most of the time singing obscure French folk songs with a curious Latin accent which is anything but the French accent .

The second part of the movie is a return to a harsh reality ,the well-meaning people ,the society with the laws ,the possessions .The heroine can no longer follow the rules .I was wondering if Milady would wake up from her slumber and discovered she dreamed her life away.

The costumes are lavish,the colors magnificent and Joan Fontaine was never more beautiful: I generally like her sister best but I can't imagine Olivia de Havilland play a tomboy,when the heroine joins the crew.

Olivia de Havilland ,who,in another great movie by Leisen ("Hold back the dawn"),was a simple schoolteacher falling for a mysterious alien ,the same way her sister did here.

Like this?Try these.....

"Moonfleet" (1955) by Fritz Lang "The Spanish Main " (1945) by Frank Borzage "Peter Pan" (1953) by Clyde Geronimi,Hamilton Luske,Wilfred Jackson.