To read the previous chapter of this essay on the work of director Robert Saidreau, click here.
After having shot Blanchette as an actor under the direction of René Hervil, Robert Saidreau, who made his last appearance there on the screen, embarked on the production of La nuit de la Saint-Jean. It was again Robert Francheville who provided the story, after providing that of The Strange Adventure of Doctor Works, Saidreau's previous film. After horror, here is a melodrama. The cabaret owner Etchebat lives in the Basque country with his daughter. He gets married again with a dancer and his sickly jealousy will make him commit the irreparable.
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| Saint John Feast |
Comœdia announces on May 18, 1921 the imminent departure of the film crew in the Basque country with, as a cinematographer, "Arnoux" (in fact, Maurice Arnou). However, in June and early July, the director was indeed in Paris, who attended a lunch in honor of American actress Pearl White on June 14, and saw the operetta "La galante épreuve" on June 23, and then "Asmodeus" on July 8. Comœdia specifies on July 9 that exteriors will be filmed in Boulogne-sur-mer, then in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Cast
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| Jean Dax |
Jean Dax adds to the assurance of success of the film: he has starred in several films, including the adaptation of Zola's novel: L'Assommoir. With him, Saidreau has more and more access to first-rate actors. As for Maria Rousslana-Doubassoff, this is their second and last collaboration. After 3 films, if we are to believe Le film magazine, she retired with the project of opening a fashion house. We also find in the cast Hélène Darly who will then appear with Ivan Mosjoukine in the popular House of Mystery. Articles also mention in the cast a Miss "Ray", perhaps Paulette Ray, who will soon make the cover of cinema magazines such as Mon Ciné of May 4, 1922 where she will evoke all her films, including Maman Pierre, also shot in the Basque country, but does not mention Saint-Jean. But another supporting role captures all the attention of the press anyway.
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| Actress Geneviève Félix, Mrs Henri Kéroul with Father Baptiste |
Almost 20 years later, however, it was a whole other actor, not even mentioned at the time, who drew attention to this then forgotten production.
Jean Kolb in Le petit Parisien of August 18, 1939 reveals to us that after having tested without success because Hervil found him too distinguished for the role of Auguste Morillon in Blanchette (finally played by Léon Mathot), Charles Boyer was offered a role of Basque villager in La nuit de la Saint Jean which therefore was his first film!
The Release
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| Hélène Darly, Mirabel, Baptiste, Maria Rousslana and Jean Dax |
But Ciné-Journal gives other information: on January 14, we can read that Union-Eclair will present La Nuit de la St Jean at the Palais de la Mutualité on Monday January 16, 1922. It is on February 11 that a release is announced for March 3.
Cinéa, in its programs, does list the film from March 3 in theaters, which Cinémagazine superbly ignores.
René Jeanne in Le petit Parisien of March 3, 1922 criticizes: "from this very simple story, he was able not without art to extract all the emotion it contained." Cinéa is more moderate: "Ideas, attempts, a little too many memories, undoubtedly involuntary, from famous films."
On May 28, 1926, Comœdia announced the reissue of the film for Saturday June 5, a favor awarded only to films that were successful enough at the time of the first release to be likely to be profitable again.
To read the next chapter on the work of director Robert Saidreau, click here.
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That's all for today folks! See you soon !