Mademoiselle Fifi (Guy de Maupassant's Mademoiselle Fifi ) (1944)

67% of users liked it
(59 ratings)

One of the few failures for RKO Radio's resident "prestige programmer" producer Val Lewton, Mademoiselle Fifi is based on two Guy De Maupassant tales, with emphasis on Boule de Suif. The story takes place during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, though it is clearly an allegorical representation of… More One of the few failures for RKO Radio's resident "prestige programmer" producer Val Lewton, Mademoiselle Fifi is based on two Guy De Maupassant tales, with emphasis on Boule de Suif. The story takes place during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, though it is clearly an allegorical representation of the German mindset of WW2. "Mademoiselle Fifi" is the derisive nickname of a brutal Prussian officer (Kurt Krueger) who rules the roost in a tiny French village. When a stagecoach rides into the village, the passengers are detained by the Prussian tyrant, who threatens to kill them all at any given moment. Desperately, the passengers demand that one of their own, a laundress of dubious morals named Elizabeth (Simone Simon), surrender herself sexually to the Prussian to secure their freedom. Previously the object of scorn and ridicule from her fellow passengers, Elizabeth is bitterly amused by their change of heart, but she's too loyal to France to refuse their request. How she completes her "mission" and eliminates "Mademoiselle Fifi" in the process is the film's dramatic core. Though superbly directed by Robert Wise, Mademoiselle Fifi is laid low by its pretentiousness-not to mention the uneveness of the performances, none more uneven than Jason Robards Sr., who at one point declaims in his flat midwestern tones "We must not forget that we're all Frenchmen!" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 9 min.
Directed By: Robert Wise
Written By: Peter Ruric, Josef Mischel
Genres: Drama

On DVD: Mar 11, 1992

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
My hat is off to the filmmakers who made this brave film.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
A rare non-horror film for producer Val Lewton, the oft-forgotten Mademoiselle Fifi moves with the same intelligent, elegant style and economy as his other films.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The whole thing is a less-than-successful allegory for the horrors taking place in Europe during WW II.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
One of the few non-thrillers in the oeuvre of producer-auteur Val Lewton, this period piece shows even more glaringly how close his celebrated taste and intelligence could skirt to outright stodginess.

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Cast

            Simone Simon as Elizabeth Rousset

            John Emery as Jean Cornudet

            Kurt Kreuger as Lt. von Eyrick

            Alan Napier as Count de Breville

            Helen Freeman as Countess de Breville

            Jason Robards Sr. as Wholesaler in Wines

            Norma Varden as Wholesaler's Wife

            Romaine Callender as Manufacturer

            Fay Helm as Manufacturer's Wife

            Edmund Glover as Young Priest

            Mayo Newhall as Mons. Follenvie

            Lillian Bronson as Mme. Follenvie

            Alan Ward as Coach Driver

            Daun Kennedy as Maid

            Max Willenz as Captain

            Marc Cramer as Lieutenant

            John Good as Fritz

            Tom Burton as Uhlans

            Victor Cutler as Soldier Waiter

            Rosemary La Planche as Amanda

            Margaret Landry as Eva

            Paul Marion as Devoir

            Frank Mayo as Sgt. at Inn

            Violette Wilson as Aunt Marie

            Margie Stewart as Pamela

            Ed Allen as Soldier

            Steve Winston as Uhlans

            Allan Lee as Hostler
See full cast

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