A stylish silent from 1920s France.
The film
A young woman comes to Paris to work at her uncle’s haberdashery shop only to find that the family business is being crushed by the huge department store opposite. Adapted from Emile Zola’s novel, Au Bonheur des Dames is both a stunning evocation of late-1920s Parisian style and a comment on the consumerism of the age. With gliding camerawork and beautiful Paris settings, Julien Duvivier’s elegiac film was shot in the Autumn of 1929, just as the silent film era was being replaced by the talkies.
The music
Pianist Jonny Best will perform a live, improvised accompaniment. Jonny has previously scored several silent films at The Stoller Hall; Buster Keaton’s The General, The Great Train Robbery, and The Big Parade.
Music: Jonny Best (piano)
Director: Julian Duvivier
Year: 1929
Country: France
Length: 1 hour 47 minutes
With thanks to FPA Classics
