Repique de gloria

There's a school of thought that makes a case for Pyshka as the finest adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's short story Boule de Suif. Directed by Mikhail Romm and starring Galina Sergeyava this was also the last silent film produced in Russia but I'd have to ask another Galina, a valued friend, for more information on this version. Another friend, dbdmonteuil is slightly mistaken when he says that Dudley Nichols used Boule de Suif as a basis for Stagecoach. Nichols adapted a short story, Stage To Lordsburg, by Douglas Haycox, a well-known Western novelist so it is Haycox who may have been inspired by Boule de Suif.

What matters ultimately, of course, is what kind of fist Christian Jacque and Micheline Presle made of it and the answer is a pretty damn good one. Jacque had a penchant for period films - his Fanfan La Tulipe - remains a benchmark in French cinema and he exhibits a sure touch with his material. For good measure another Maupassant story, Mademoiselle Fifi, is thrown into the mix and blends in perfectly and seamlessly; the Hollywood Bomber Crew are all out of the right bottle with stalwarts such as Gabrielle Fontan (Porte de Lilas, Les Portes de la nuit, etc) lending sterling support but ultimately it is Presle's movie and she takes it with both hands and runs with it. A minor gem.