Le Plaisir
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Le Plaisir, also known by its English title House of Pleasure, is a 1952 French comedy-drama anthology film directed by Max Ophüls adapting three stories by Guy de Maupassant (Le Masque, La Maison Tellier and Le Modèle).
Le Plaisir was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Max Ophüls).
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Plot
Le Masque
A somewhat artificial looking young dandy goes to an ornate dance hall, where he finds a young woman to be his dance partner. When he faints from the exertion, a doctor is called. He discovers that the dandy is in fact an old man wearing a mask to hide his aged appearance. The doctor takes the old man home to his patient wife. She explains that her husband Ambroise used to attract the ladies who frequented the hairdresser salon where he worked, but in the space of two years, he lost his looks. He goes out in disguise in an attempt to recapture his youth.
La Maison Tellier
Julia Tellier, the well-respected madam of a small-town whorehouse, takes her girls on an outing to her brother's village to attend the first communion of her niece. Her regular patrons are taken aback when they discover the whorehouse closed without explanation that Saturday night. One finally discovers a sign explaining the reason and is relieved. Julia's brother becomes infatuated with Rosa, one of her workers, and promises to visit next month.
Le Modèle
An artist falls in love with his model. Things are idyllic at first, but after living together for a while, they begin to quarrel constantly. Finally, he moves in with his friend. She eventually finds him, but he wants no more to do with her. He ignores her threat to jump from a window, and is so guilt-ridden when she does so immediately that he marries her.
Cast
- Le Masque
- Claude Dauphin as the doctor
- Gaby Morlay as Denise, Ambroise's wife
- Paul Azaïs as a dance hall patron
- Gaby Bruyère as Frimousse, Ambroise's dance partner
- Jean Galland as Ambroise
- La Maison Tellier
- Madeleine Renaud as Julia Tellier
- Ginette Leclerc as Madame Flora, one of Julia's girls
- Mila Parély as Madame Raphaële, another of Julia's employees
- Danielle Darrieux as Madame Rosa, another worker
- Pierre Brasseur as Julien Ledentu, a traveling salesman who becomes too fresh with the girls on the train trip
- Jean Gabin as Joseph Rivet, Julia's brother
- Amédée as Frédéric, another whorehouse employee
- Antoine Balpêtré as Monsieur Poulain, a patron
- René Blancard as the mayor
- Mathilde Casadesus as Madame Louise, another worker
- Henri Crémieux as Monsieur Pimpesse
- Arthur Devère as the train conductor
- Paulette Dubost as Madame Fernande, another employee
- Jocelyne Jany as Constance Rivet, Julia's niece
- Robert Lombard as Monsieur Philippe, the banker's son, a patron
- Héléna Manson as Marie Rivet, Joseph's wife
- Le Modèle
- Jean Servais as Jean's friend, also narrator of the French version
- Daniel Gélin as Jean, the painter
- Simone Simon as Joséphine, the model
