First on the Rope (French: Premier de cordée) is a 1944 French drama film directed by Louis Daquin and starring Irène Corday, André Le Gall and Lucien Blondeau.[1][2] It is an adaptation of the 1941 novel of the same title by Roger Frison-Roche. It was a faithful adaptation of the novel, which began shooting in June 1943 during the German Occupation of France. Despite being directed by Daquin, a French Communist, it was considered to demonstrate a Pétainist ideology possibly even containing elements of Nazism.[3]
| First on the Rope | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Louis Daquin |
| Written by | Alexandre Arnoux Louis Daquin Jacqueline Jacoupy Paul Leclercq |
| Based on | First on the Rope by Roger Frison-Roche |
| Produced by | Jacqueline Jacoupy |
| Starring | Irène Corday André Le Gall Lucien Blondeau |
| Cinematography | Philippe Agostini |
| Edited by | Suzanne de Troeye |
| Music by | Henri Sauguet |
Production company | Pathé Consortium Cinéma |
| Distributed by | Pathé Consortium Cinéma |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
The film's sets were designed by the art director Lucien Aguettand. Location shooting took place around Mont Blanc in the French Alps.
Synopsis edit
The son of a veteran mountain climber succeeds his father as "the first on the rope", leading expeditions into the mountains. However, after nearly losing his life during a climb he develops vertigo and abandons his position to take over as a hotel manager. Two years later when his father is persuaded by a Norwegian tourist to take him on a trip into the mountains, his son is forced to come to their rescue when they run into a trouble during a storm.
Cast edit
- Irène Corday as Aline Lourtier
- André Le Gall as Pierre Servettaz
- Lucien Blondeau as Jean Servettaz
- Marcel Delaître as Ravanat dit 'Le Rouge'
- Jean Davy as Hubert de Vallon
- Maurice Baquet as Boule
- Mona Dol as Marie Servettaz
- Yves Furet as Georges à la Clarisse
- Andrée Clément as Suzanne Servettaz
- Geymond Vital as Maxime Vouillaz
- Tosca De Lac as L'acrobate
- Louis Seigner as Le docteur
- Roger Blin as Paul Moury
- Eugène Chevalier as Un guide
- Guy Decomble as Warfield
- Jacques Dufilho as Fernand Lourtier
- Fernand René as Napoléon
- Albert Duvaleix as L'oncle Dechosalet
- Jérôme Goulven as Un guide
- Jean-Marc Thibault as Un pensionnaire des Servettaz
References edit
Bibliography edit
- Crisp, Colin. French Cinema—A Critical Filmography: Volume 2, 1940–1958. Indiana University Press, 2015.
- Nord, Philip. France's New Deal: From the Thirties to the Postwar Era. Princeton University Press, 2012.
External links edit
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