Joan of Paris
| Joan of Paris | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by |
Robert Stevenson James Anderson (assistant) |
| Produced by | David Hempstead |
| Written by | Jacques Théry (story) Georges Kessel (story) Charles Bennett Ellis St. Joseph |
| Starring |
Michèle Morgan Paul Henreid Thomas Mitchell Laird Cregar |
| Music by | Roy Webb |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Sherman Todd |
|
Production
company |
RKO Radio Pictures
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| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
|
91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $666,000 |
Joan of Paris is a 1942 war film about five Royal Air Force pilots shot down over Nazi-occupied France during World War II and their attempt to escape to England. It stars Michèle Morgan, Paul Henreid, Thomas Mitchell and Laird Cregar.
Joan of Paris marked the U.S. screen debuts of Austrian Henreid and Frenchwoman Morgan. Henreid had previously appeared in some British-American co-productions made in England and had starred on Broadway in the play Flight to the West as Paul von Hernreid. When he was signed with RKO in 1942, the studio changed his surname, dropping the "von" and changing his last name to "Henreid", the name he used for the rest of his film career.
Cregar was borrowed from 20th-Century Fox. Alan Ladd, who played one of the downed airmen, would soon become a star later that year. After his breakthrough starring role in This Gun for Hire (1942), Joan of Paris was re-released with Ladd more prominently featured. This film also features May Robson's last role.
In German-occupied Paris, an announcer reports during a blackout that the Second Front has begun, with British forces invading the Continent, and that Royal Air Force bombers have been shot down. Five downed pilots split up and make their way to Paris to try to get help in returning to England. On the way, they break into a tavern in search of civilian clothes. When a German soldier shows up for a drink, Squadron Leader Paul Lavallier (Paul Henreid), a member of the Free French, knocks him out and takes his money.
In Paris, Paul contacts an old teacher of his, Father Antoine (Thomas Mitchell), who agrees to hide the reunited men in the sewers underneath his cathedral. "Baby" (Alan Ladd) has been shot in the shoulder along the way. When he slumps over in the church, it attracts the attention of a Gestapo agent (Alexander Granach). Paul manages to distract him, allowing Baby to slip away, but then the German starts following Paul. Paul tries to hide in a café, where he is served by Joan (Michèle Morgan), but the agent finds him. In his haste to get away, the airman tears the sleeve of Joan's dress. He then enters the first unlocked room he finds in a nearby building. By chance, it is Joan's. She discovers him hiding in her closet when she goes to change. To allay her fears, he tells her that Father Antoine sent him to give her enough money to buy a new dress. He persuades her to deliver a message to Father Antoine, describing his predicament. As they begin working together, they fall in love.
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