Paris, Palace Hôtel (1956)
Directed by Henri Verneuil

Film Review

In the rich and diverse filmography of the French-Armenian director Henri Verneuil there are a number of forgotten and underrated films.  One of these is Paris, Palace Hôtel, a Franco-Italian film that was first screened in Paris on 19th October 1956.  Coincidentally, this was the day on which Marcel Carné's Le Pays d'où je viens was released - both films are good-natured rom-coms set at Christmas time, both are minor entries in their director's oeuvre and they share the same leading lady!   Like Carné, Verneuil brings verve and sophistication to a lightweight crowd-pleaser, making the best of his mediocre script and extracting as much humour as possible from the comic scenes, the most memorable of which takes place in a prison.  Photography is provided by the master Philippe Agostini and the colourful sets are the work of Jean d'Eaubonne.

On the casting front, Verneuil brings together an old diva, Charles Boyer, and rising star, Françoise Arnoul - a marriage made in Heaven.  One of France's leading film stars for four decades, Boyer brought Gallic charm to Hollywood in the 1930s and appeared opposite some of the most iconic actresses, including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and Bette Davis.  In Paris, Palace Hôtel, his 58th film, Boyer makes a rare return to his home country to assume the role of a roguish middle-aged Casanova.  As was often the case in his later years, Boyer's distinguished presence makes the film feel far more substantial than it really is.

Playing the attractive hotel manicurist is the delightful Françoise Arnoul, her last collaboration with Verneuil.  She had previously starred in four of the director's films: Le Fruit défendu (1952), Le Mouton à cinq pattes (1954), Des gens sans importance (1955) and Les Amants du tage (1955). Roberto Rossi was imposed on Verneuil by the film's Italian producers - he plays the young garagist, with noticeably less restraint than his co-stars.  The supporting cast includes several familiar faces - Raymond Bussières, Julien Carette, Louis Seigner, Darry Cowl and Georges Chamarat - and Tilda Thamar, an actress of argentine origin who is a suitable choice for the part of Boyer's wife.

Paris, Palace Hôtel may not have enjoyed anything like the longevity of many of Verneuil's other films but it was a significant box office success in its day, attracting an audience of 2.3 million in France.  Now Henri Verneuil fans can re-discover this forgotten gem on a DVD release which is available from May 2013.

Film Synopsis

Françoise Noblet is a young manicurist who works at a high class hotel in Paris.  One Christmas Eve, she meets Monsieur Delormel, a wealthy businessman who offers her an evening she will never forget.   But Françoise is more interested in a handsome young man named Gérard who, unbeknown to her, has been charged with delivering a Cadillac to Delormel.  Gérard is equally taken with Françoise, but is afraid that she will cease to have any interest in him when she learns that he is no one of importance.  What is he to do when Françoise lets slip that she is Delormel's daughter...?