Pearls of the Crown (1937)

100% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(24 ratings)

Originally titled Les Perles de Couronne, this Sacha Guitry historical extravaganza stars both Guitry and his wife Jacqueline Delubac. The plotline hinges on four valuable pearls, which pass from hand to hand over a period of several centuries, from the time of Britain's Henry VIII to the present.… More Originally titled Les Perles de Couronne, this Sacha Guitry historical extravaganza stars both Guitry and his wife Jacqueline Delubac. The plotline hinges on four valuable pearls, which pass from hand to hand over a period of several centuries, from the time of Britain's Henry VIII to the present. All of this is offered in flashback form, as a group of modern-day treasure hunters try to locate three of the missing pearls by tracing them back to their previous owners. Guitry shows up as King Francis I, Barras and Napoleon III, in addition to his contemporary persona of Jean Martin; Debulac is seen as Mary Queen of Scots and Empress Josephine. There isn't a scintilla of historical accuracy in the film, nor did Guitry have the slightest intention of including any; his sole purpose was to entertain the audience and serve up a superbly ironic denoument. The supporting cast is a polyglot of French, English and Italian actors, each speaking in his or her own language. The screenplay for Pearls of the Crown was cowritten by Guitry and another immensely talented filmmaker, Christian-Jaque. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 1 min.
Directed By: Sacha Guitry, Christian Jacque
Written By: Sacha Guitry, Christian-Jaque
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

On DVD: Oct 15, 1992

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson, Washington Post
A zany fusion of historical fantasy.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The sheer personality and energy of this 1937 film transcends linguistic barriers.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... an antricately cut gem, an epic in miniature with a whimsical sensibility.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
History may be written by the victors, but it is only the best writers who make it fun.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Irresistibly effervescent dialogue, a sprightly 'modern' visual style -- one could go on forever about a film that comes to an end all too soon.
, Film4
A dazzling potpourri of French, English and Italian language. Wonderfully zany - not to be missed.

Read all 6 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

"Pearls of the Crown" starts with Jean Martin(Sacha Guitry, who also co-wrote and directed) in the process of telling his wife Francoise(Jacqueline Delubac) about seven pearls and their history. At the same time, the story is being told in Rome and London. The action opens… More
"Pearls of the Crown" starts with Jean Martin(Sacha Guitry, who also co-wrote and directed) in the process of telling his wife Francoise(Jacqueline Delubac) about seven pearls and their history. At the same time, the story is being told in Rome and London. The action opens in 1518 with the almost simultaneous births of the French Dauphin and Catherine de Medici, the latter of whom is almost immediately orphaned after her birth, leaving her in the care of her uncle, Pope Clement VII(Ermete Zacconi), who not wanting to have anything to do with a baby, sends her to the care of a monastery. Eight years later, the Dauphin's father, King Francis I of France(Sacha Guitry) thinks it is about time he should get married and arranges a marriage for him with Catherine de Medici. As time goes on, Clement notices her handlers taking an interest in her, so he promotes one to Cardinal(I'll behave myself for once and not say anything) while sending the other on a quest for perfect pearls... ...and that's not the half of it as the second part of the movie consists of a mystery after Martin's story has been concluded. Overall, the effect of watching "Pearls of the Crown" is sort of like having 400 years of European history directly downloaded into your brain, albeit in a totally delightful fashion.(Oh where have you been films of Sacha Guitry all my filmgoing life?) All of which feels fresh, even with Tudor England having been done to death recently. But then I do not really think it is history that Guitry is after but romance and how it has played out over the centuries from the ruling class(including Abyssynia) to the poor.