Le cavalier noir

isn't interesting, just a poor adventure movie in the XVIIIth century. The real adventure is that it was shot in august 1944 in Normandy when the American landing took place : as it is written on the DVD, "the shooting of this movie having begun the 15th of august 1944, it is considered as the last movie during the German Ocupation or the first movie of the Liberation.". Read more in the excellent book of interviews of Gilles Grangier by François Guérif, lot of true stories about french cinema. Gilles Grangier directed a real masterpiece, "Danger de Mort", which is still not available on DVD.

Georges Guetary while well known to older French people is recognized if at all in the US for being the elegant middle aged dude in An American In Paris who does the "I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise" number and almost steals the show from Kelly and Caron. Here he is a youthful matinee idol ,fought over by several women and continuing to elude the aristocrats and the cavalry who are hunting him for border smuggling. The film is disappointing as a swashbuckler because there is little action but there is a nice castle setting and several pleasant songs that Guetary puts over with his distinctive voice Nice support from Andre Alerme as the pompous nobleman and Jean Tissier as the befuddled cavalry captain. So while there is charm in this old fashioned Cinema Du Papa entry ,little competition is offered to Fairbanks, Ty Power or Errol Flynn.

Gilles Grangier's most salutary quality was his flair for films noirs , the 1955-1959 era plus "danger de mort" (1947)

"Le cavalier noir" (called "the black count" ,not "the black horseman" in the story ) is tongue in chick Robin Hood cum Dick Turpin adventures ;besides as the hero , Georges Guétary, is primarily a singer , it's also a musical and his songs,if your taste don't run that way, get in the way .

Guétary and co-star Nicole Maurey are bland and devoid of panache and charisma ;thus the best moments come from the old guard ,Jean Tissier and Alerme: the first is an officer in charge of fighting the smugglers :at the time ,there was in France a salt tax ,the "Gabelle" ; and he's so dumb one can wonder why his master,the marquis, never fired him ; the noble is not very smart either ;the first sequences are really funny : the officer takes the enemy (the black count) to the marquis' s desirable castle where both men reveal their plans to the outlaw ; the old local country squire tells about his numerous trysts in Versailles of yore .He and his henchman make a riotously funny pair, but the film quickly loses steam .