La poison (1951)

Director:

Sacha Guitry

Writer:

Sacha Guitry (writer)

Release Date:

30 November 1951 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Cynicism | Uxoricide | Attempted Murder Of Husband | Folks | Black Humor

Cast

Michel Simon	...	Paul Louis Victor Braconnier
Jean Debucourt	...	Maître Aubanel
Jacques Varennes	...	Le procureur
Jeanne Fusier-Gir	...	La fleuriste
Germaine Reuver	...	Blandine Braconnier (as Madame Reuver)
Pauline Carton	...	La mercière
Albert Duvaleix	...	L'abbé Méthivier (as Duvaleix)
Henry Laverne	...	Le président
Jacques de Féraudy	...	M. Brun
Jacques Derives	...	Jules
Louis de Funès	...	André
Luce Fabiole	...	La servante du curé
Yvonne Hébert	...	Julie
Roger Poirier	...	Un geôlier (as Poirier)
André Dalibert	...	Le gendarme (as Dalibert)
Max Dejean	...	L'épicier (as Dejean)
Michel Nastorg	...	Le brigadier (as Nastorg)
Nicolas Amato	...	Victor (as Amato)
Louis Eymond	...	Le secrétaire (as Eymond)
Marianne Romain
Suzanne Dantès	...	(voice)
Jacques Morel	...	(voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marcelle Arnold	...	Germaine (uncredited)
Jean Bachelet	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Henri Belly	...	Un voisin (uncredited)
Georges Bever	...	Le pharmacien (uncredited)
Robert Dumesnil	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Maria Fromet	...	Mlle. Aubanel (uncredited)
François Gir	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Sacha Guitry	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Harry-Max	...	Henri (uncredited)
Fernand Janisse	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Raymond Lamy	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Odette Lemarchand	...	Elle-même / Herself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Louiguy	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
René Ribaud	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Marthe Sarbel	...	Ernestine (uncredited)
Robert Sussfeld	...	Lui-même / Himself - in opening credits (uncredited)
Maurice Teynac	...	Un avocat (uncredited)
Jimmy Urbain	...	(uncredited)
Léon Walther	...	L'avocat général (uncredited)

Directed by
Sacha Guitry

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sacha Guitry		writer

Produced by
Paul Wagner	....	producer

Original Music by
Louiguy

Cinematography by
Jean Bachelet

Film Editing by
Raymond Lamy

Production Design by
Robert Dumesnil

Production Management
Robert Sussfeld	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
François Gir	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Fernand Janisse	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
René Ribaud	....	camera operator

Other crew
Odette Lemarchand	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Gaumont

Distributors

• Gaumont (1951) (France) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Poison (USA)
Giftet (Sweden) [sv]
Ho ucciso mia moglie (Italy) [it]
Myrkky (Finland) [fi]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15

Company:

Gaumont

Movie Connections:

Remade as Un crime au paradis (2001)

further precisions

To complete the previous comment (which I agree), I will add that Michel Simon's (clever) machiavelism is to visit the lawyer PRIOR the killing of his wife(pretending he already did it),in order to know how to commit the "perfect" murder without being sentenced as much as possible; smart!

Maybe Sacha Guitry's most cynical movie about marriage. The famous Director/writer was an active womanizer and we may think that he was deceived by the female gender at this time (close to his death)and wished some revenge through this film (his young last wife -Lana Marconi- was supposedly interested in his money only and eventually sold his late husband's house in Paris to speculating promoters, only a couple of years after his death (the house was destroyed immediately to build a new building of no interest, whereas Guitry's last deep wish was to open a comedian's museum to exhibit his rarest manuscripts, costumes, theater memorabilia, etc.). What a pity!