À nous la liberté (1931)

Director:

René Clair

Writer:

René Clair (story)

Release Date:

31 December 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Le chef-d'oeuvre de René Clair

Plot:

A famous left-wing satirical comedy about two ex-convicts, one of whom escaped jail and then worked his way up from salesman to factory owner...

Plot Keywords:

Worker | Friend | Factory | Ex Convict | Escape

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Henri Marchand	...	Émile
Raymond Cordy	...	Louis
Rolla France	...	Jeanne
Paul Ollivier	...	L'oncle (as Paul Olivier)
Jacques Shelly	...	Paul
André Michaud	...	Le contremaitre
Germaine Aussey	...	Maud - la femme de Louis
Léon Lorin	...	Le vieux monsieur sourd
William Burke	...	L'ancien détenu
Vincent Hyspa	...	Le vieil orateur
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Albert Broquin	...	Le marchand de primeurs (uncredited)
Robert Charlet	...	(uncredited)
Léon Courtois	...	(uncredited)
Alexander D'Arcy	...	Le gigolo (uncredited)
Marguerite de Morlaye	...	Une invitée au diner (uncredited)
Ritou Lancyle	...	(uncredited)
Maximilienne	...	Une invitée au diner (uncredited)
Eugène Stuber	...	Un gangster (uncredited)

Directed by
René Clair

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
René Clair		story and screenplay

Produced by
Frank Clifford	....	producer
Alexandre Kamenka	....	producer (uncredited)
Roger Le Bon	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Georges Auric

Cinematography by
Georges Périnal		(as Georges Perinal)

Film Editing by
René Le Hénaff
René Clair		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Lazare Meerson

Costume Design by
René Hubert

Production Management
Georges Lampin	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ary Sadoul	....	second assistant director
Albert Valentin	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Hermann Storr	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Georges Raulet	....	camera operator

Music Department
Armand Bernard	....	musical director

Other crew
Lenny Borger	....	subtitler: TVS - Titra Film for Janus Films print

Production Companies

• Films Sonores Tobis

Distributors

• Films Sonores Tobis (1931) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1932) (UK) (theatrical)
• Harold Auten (1932) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Filmsonor (1952) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Joseph Burstyn (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (video)
• Janus Films (????) (USA) (all media)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (all media)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)

Other Companies

• TVS-Titra Film  subtitling: English for Janus Films print

Also Known As:

À nous la liberté! (France) (alternative spelling)
Freedom for Us (International: English title)
Liberty for Us (USA)

Runtime:

104 min | USA:83 min (re-release) | USA:97 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1950) | UK:U | USA:Approved

Company:

Films Sonores Tobis

Trivia:

When Charles Chaplin's Modern Times (1936) premiered, the original distribution company of À nous la liberté, Tobis, wanted to sue. Director René Clair refused to join such a suit, saying that he considered it a compliment if Charles Chaplin based his film on René Clair's, but the suit went ahead nevertheless. Tobis, sued United Artists and Charles Chaplin for plagiarism. The suit, with separate segments in France and in the US, went on for more than a decade, right through WWII. Charles Chaplin, at the request of his lawyers, finally settled, but never admitted to the charge. René Clair stayed aloof from the affair, and he and Charles Chaplin, whom he greatly admired, remained friends.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Voice over Singer]: Liberty is the happy man's due / He enjoys love and skies of blue / But then there are some / Who no worse crimes have done / It's the sad story we tell / From a prison cell

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood" (1995)

Marvellous early sound film

Clair's À nous la liberté is a wonderful satire of modern mass production, magnificently shot, directed, decently acted and with impressive sets. The satirical content is stressed but not too on-your-face. The main reaction to the film is delight.

Some of the sequences were an obvious inspiration to Chaplin, whose masterpiece Modern Times resembles this film quite a lot both in the way it looks as well as thematically.

The picture and sound quality, at least in the version shown on Finnish TV, are superb which is surprising considering the age of the film.

The music is good and well used, except the songs which are slightly irritating. Still, this is a great and pleasing film with a very amusing scene in the end, taking place at the opening of a new factory.