Le président Haudecoeur (1940) User Reviews

Harry Baur - Betty Stockfield

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 7/10 · 24 December 2019]

Not a major Jean Dréville movie but rather pleasant thanks to the meeting of a brilliant senior public prosecutor (Harry Baur) with a fresh young delightful anglo saxon woman (Betty Stockfield). Harry Baur tries to find a second youth by impressing Betty Stockfield with his brilliant conversation. Will she be impressed and fall in love with this distinguished powerful man? They are shot very close in case of an expected kiss, but ... The meeting of two very different characters have always made entertaining movies and the duo Baur-Stockfield is extraordinary. Still not on dvd.

As Time Goes By

[writers_reign · 8/10 · 16 February 2008]

Although at the time there was a certain stigma attached to anyone who worked for Continental Films a high percentage of technicians made significant contributions to French cinema; in some cases, Maurice Tourneur, Henri Decoin, for example they had already done so, in others, Henri-George Clouzot, Andre Cayatte, they would do so later. Jean Dreville made only one film for Contintal, Annette et la dame blonde and though he never exactly set the world on fire he did go on to make La Cage aux Rossignols which was, of course, remade into the huge international succell Les Chroistes. He was also working prior to his stint at Continental and Le President Haudecoeur is typical of the stuff he was churning out, well-made, highly enjoyable, but ultimately lost in the shuffle. This is tailored for the great Harry Bauer and he does not disappoint but he is matched all the way by the Australian actress Betty Stockfield, who made a handful of films in England but many more in France. She was a wonderful actress, lovely to look at, supremely talented who despite a respectable number of films remains practically unknown but anyone looking for a definition of 'class' or 'star quality' need look no further than this delightful film from the first full year of the war.

Sursum corda

[dbdumonteil · 23 January 2008]

A public prosecutor wants his son to marry an ugly girl(who has a squint) because her mom is very rich.But it's too late for the boy has already fallen in love with another girl who is pregnant by him.Angry dad is to stop his shameless son's allowance .Enter exuberant Betty Brown ,with a delightful slight English accent and lots of joie de vivre.

The fifty-something greybeard (Harry Baur) begins to realize his life was an unfilled one .What his son did,he never did it: meeting love ,and making the most of his youth.Is it too late?The wonderful miss Wood (Betty Stockfeld),does she mean a second chance?Does he deserve a second chance? The screenplay is a bit predictable ,but Harry Baur is once again ideally cast as this man who feels that time is passing him by and he is given strong support by Betty Stockfeld,an unfairly forgotten dynamic actress.