Fanfan la Tulipe (1952)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Christian-Jaque

Writers:

René Wheeler (screenplay) &
René Fallet (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 May 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Romance | War

Plot:

Fanfan is a young handsome peasant. He joins the army to escape marriage and because a gipsy girl predicted...

Plot Keywords:

Army | Escape | King | Award | Fortune Teller

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gérard Philipe	...	Fanfan La Tulipe (as Gérard Philipe du Théatre National Populaire)
Gina Lollobrigida	...	Adeline La Franchise
Marcel Herrand	...	Louis XV
Olivier Hussenot	...	Tranche-Montagne
Henri Rollan	...	Le maréchal d'Estrée (as Henri Rollan de la Comédie Française)
Nerio Bernardi	...	La Franchise
Jean-Marc Tennberg	...	Lebel (as Jean Marc Tennberg)
Geneviève Page	...	La marquise de Pompadour
Sylvie Pelayo	...	Henriette de France
Lolita De Silva	...	La dame d'honneur (as Lolita de Silva)
Irène Young	...	Marion
Georgette Anys	...	Madame Tranche-Montagne
Hennery	...	Guillot
Lucien Callamand	...	Le maréchal de Brandebourg
Gil Delamare	...	Un soldat
Jackie Blanchot	...	Un soldat
Joé Davray	...	Un soldat (as Joe Davray)
Gérard Buhr	...	Un soldat
Georges Demas
Jean Parédès	...	Le capitaine de la Houlette
Noël Roquevert	...	Fier-à-Bras
Jean Debucourt	...	La voix de l'historien (as Jean Debucourt de la Comédie Française)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hiram Sherman	...	Narrator (English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Christian-Jaque

Writing credits
René Wheeler		(screenplay) &
René Fallet		(screenplay)
Christian-Jaque		(adaptation) &
Henri Jeanson		(adaptation) &
René Wheeler		(adaptation)
Henri Jeanson		(dialogue)

Produced by
Francis Cosne	....	executive producer
Georges Dancigers	....	executive producer
Alexandre Mnouchkine	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Thiriet
Georges Van Parys

Cinematography by
Christian Matras

Film Editing by
Jacques Desagneaux

Production Design by
Robert Gys

Set Decoration by
Pierre Charron
Georges Kougoucheff

Costume Design by
Marcel Escoffier

Makeup Department
Carmen Brel	....	makeup artist
Jean Lalaurette	....	wig maker

Production Management
Maurice Hartwig	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raymond Villette	....	assistant director

Art Department
Pierre Barbet	....	property master
Henri Berger	....	property master
Jacques Chalvet	....	assistant set decorator
Claude Foucher	....	assistant set decorator
Italo Tomassi	....	construction department head: scenic artists (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jacques Carrère	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lucien Lacharmoise	....	sound recordist
Guy Villette	....	sound assistant

Camera and Electrical Department
Ernest Bourreaud	....	camera operator
Alain Douarinou	....	camera operator
Yves Mirkine	....	still photographer
René Touillaud	....	lighting technician
Albert Viguier	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean Fay	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Claude Durand	....	assistant editor

Music Department
P.M. Le Conte	....	orchestra director

Other crew
Simonne Bourdarias	....	script supervisor
Gardère	....	fencing master
Gaucherand	....	jewels designer
Claire Guibert	....	voice dubbing: Gina Lollobrigida (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Amato Produzione
• Filmsonor
• Les Films Ariane

Distributors

• Cetera International (Japan)
• Cosortium du Film
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Filmsonor (1952) (France) (theatrical)
• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1953) (USA) (subtitled)
• Rialto Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)

Special Effects

• LAX Lab. (special effects)

Other Companies

• Omnium Sonore  sound recording
• Studios de Billancourt  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

Fan-Fan the Tulip (USA)
Soldier of Love
Fanfan, der Husar (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
As Aventuras de Fanfan la Tulipe (Portugal) [pt]
Den gyllene tulpanen (Sweden) [sv]
Fanfán el invencible (Spain) [es]
Fanfan la Tulipe (Argentina) [es]
Királylány a feleségem (Hungary) [hu]
Kultainen tulppaani (Finland) [fi]
O ippotis kai i tsigana (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

102 min | Argentina:99 min | Italy:95 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Amato Produzione

Goofs:

Continuity: Fanfan's white trousers get dirty from falling off a horse, but in the next scene they are clean.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Fanfan la tulipe (2003)

greatest story ever told?

Okay, perhaps not, but it certainly is a very good adventure-comedy! One of the best of its kind. It has everything: romance, swordfights, abductions, witty bantering between characters, sly remarks about war. And it can boast of inspired casting, with Gérard Philipe at his romantic peak, all handsome and dashing, with soulful eyes, sensitive features, and a beautiful, velvety speaking voice. A very young Gina Lollobrigida was never more alluring, and the stupid villain, the amorous king Louis, and the slimy royal valet Lébel are all great character actors. In fact there's never a dull moment in this gem of a French film! And didn't it win the main prize at Cannes?