La Comédie du bonheur

Le Comedie du Bonheur (also known as Ecco La Felicità in Italy and Comedy of Happiness in England) is a 1940 French-Italian film. It was the first completed film of Louis Jourdan.

Le Comedie du Bonheur
Directed byMarcel L'Herbier
Written byGaetano Campanile-Mancini
André Cerf
Fernand Noziere
Based onplay "Samoe glavnoe" by Nikolai Evreinov
Jean Cocteau (additional dialogue)
StarringMichel Simon
Ramon Novarro
Jacqueline Delubac
Micheline Presle
Louis Jourdan
Release date
1940 (Italy)
1942 (Frances)
CountryFrance
Italy
LanguageFrench

Plot

When wealthy banker Francois Jourdain starts spending his money on philanthropic causes, his relatives have him committed to a psychiatric clinic to save their inheritance. During Mardi Gras celebrations, Jourdain escapes and takes residence in a boarding house inhabited by several miserable individuals, including Lydia, the suicidal Russian Fedor, and bitter old spinster Miss Aglae. Francois hires some actors, led by Deribin, to take up residence there and cheer up the inhabitants by putting on a musical production of Quo Vadis.

Félix, the lead actor, begins romancing Lydia to improve her self-esteem. Felix's wife Anita convinces Fédor that life is worth living, and Deribin tries to cheer up Miss Aglaé. Jourdain's family go looking for him.

Cast

Production

The movie was based on a 1921 play and was filmed at the Scalera Studios in Rome.[1] It was one of the few films made outside Hollywood by Ramon Novarro.[2]

References
  1. La Comedie du Bonheur at Louisjourdan.net
  2. Allan R. Ellenberger, Ramon Novarro: A Biography of the Silent Film Idol, 1899-1968; with a Filmography, McFarland, 2009 p 143 accessed 23 January 2014


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