Once Upon a Time (French: Il était une fois) is a 1933 French drama film directed by Léonce Perret and starring Gaby Morlay, André Luguet and Andrée Ducret.The A to Z of French Cinema p.306
It was shot at the Joinville Studios in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director Guy de Gastyne.
According to Perret's biographer, critics found that the film, based on a play by Francis de Croisset, "bordered on the conflict between theatre technicians and film studio technicians".
Cast Gaby Morlay as Ellen et Mary André Luguet as Patrick O'Leary Andrée Ducret as Lady Baconshire Jean-Max as Baddington Madeleine Geoffroy as Miss Curtis Georges Mauloy as Dr Samwood André Dubosc as Lord Leftsbury Jean Bara as Little Bobby Gaston Dubosc as Parker André Nicolle as Mister Curtis Pierre Darmant as Herbett Louis Lorsy as John Alex Bernard as Alfred Pierre Larquey as Redno
Production and reception The film features in its cast various actors who reprised the roles they had on stage in the production of the play (Max, Mauloy, Dubosc, Bara) This film adaptation was a lesser success than the play but also than other later screen versions (Molander's and then Cukor's).
References
Bibliography Dayna Oscherwitz & MaryEllen Higgins. The A to Z of French Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2009.
External links