Film
Hélène
France- Director
- Jean Benoît-Lévy
- Year
- 1936
Helene is based on Helene Wilfur, a novel by Vicki (Grand Hotel) Baum. Madeleine Renaud essays the title role, a young medical student in love with aspiring musician Pierre Regnier (Jean-Lous Barrault). Pierre's father, a noted surgeon, puts pressure on his son to give up music in favor of medicine. Unable to withstand his father's remonstrations, Pierre kills himself, prompting the grieving Madeleine to forget all about romance and dedicate her life to the cause of healing others. Wilfur avoids the usual soap-opera goo by offering realistic performances and credible dialogue (the English-language subtitles were composed by erudite film critic Herman G. Weinberg).
Top cast
Madeleine Renaud
Hélène Wilfur
Jean-Louis Barrault
Pierre Régnier
Constant Rémy
Professor Amboise
Héléna Manson
Valérie
Odette Joyeux
Françoise
Robert Le Vigan
Doctor Regnier
Georges Bever
The lab boy
Jeanne Helbling
Yvonne Amboise
Blanche Peyrens
The doctor
Greta Buelens
Totoche
Marguerite Daulboys
The widow
René Dary
Marcel
Maurice Baquet
Durant Tout Court
Paul Escoffier
The judge
Armand Lurville
The dean
Tsugundo Maki
The Japanese student
Roger Toziny
The bookstore
Juozas Miltinis
The Russian
Directed by
Jean Benoît-Lévy
Written by
Marie Epstein, Jean Benoît-Lévy