Madame Sans-Gêne (1962)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Christian-Jaque

Writers:

Christian-Jaque (writer)
Ennio De Concini (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

13 February 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Romance | War

Plot:

Catherine, an out-spoken Parisian laundress follows Napoleon's army to the battlefront to be near her Sergeant Lefevre...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Beautiful Woman | French Revolution | Military Parade | Battle

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Catherine Hubscher, dite "Madame Sans-Gêne"
Robert Hossein	...	François-Joseph Lefebvre
Renaud Mary	...	Fouché
Léa Gray
Gianrico Tedeschi	...	Roquet
Marina Berti	...	Elisa Bonaparte
Enrique Ávila	...	Fricasse
Carlo Giuffrè	...	Jérôme
Fernando Sancho	...	Pommier
Bruno Carotenuto
Gabriella Pallotta	...	Héloïse
Célina Cély	...	Ziguette
Analía Gadé	...	Caroline Bonaparte (as Annalia Gadé)
Ida Galli
Silvia Solar	...	Margot
Licia Calderón
Laura Valenzuela	...	Pauline Bonaparte
Ángela Bravo
Antoinette Weynen
Julien Bertheau	...	Napoléon Bonaparte
Alfonso Godá
Xan das Bolas
Charito Trallero		(as Charo Trallero)
Pilar Laguna
María Becedas
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tomás Blanco	...	Mariscal Augereau (uncredited)
Robert Dalban	...	Le maître à danser (uncredited)
Renato Terra	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Christian-Jaque

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Christian-Jaque		writer
Ennio De Concini		writer
José Luis Dibildos		writer
Jean Ferry		writer
Rafael García Serrano		writer
Henri Jeanson		writer
Émile Moreau		play
Victorien Sardou		play
Franco Solinas		writer

Produced by
Maleno Malenotti	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino

Non-Original Music by
Umberto Giordano		(from opera "Madame Sans-Gêne")

Cinematography by
Roberto Gerardi

Film Editing by
Eraldo Da Roma
Jacques Desagneaux
Alfonso Santacana		(as Alfonso Santacaña)

Art Direction by
Jean d'Eaubonne
Mario Rappini

Set Decoration by
Jean d'Eaubonne
Santiago Ontañón

Costume Design by
Antonio Cortés
Marcel Escoffier
Italia Scandariato

Makeup Department
Maria Angelini	....	assistant hair stylist
Giuseppe Annunziata	....	makeup artist
Giuseppe Banchelli	....	makeup artist
Fernando Florido	....	makeup artist
Mariano García Rey	....	assistant makeup artist (as Mariano García)
Carlos Nin	....	hair stylist
Marina Pavia	....	assistant hair stylist
Vasco Reggiani	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Juan Campos	....	unit production manager
Luis Cuevas	....	unit production manager
Serafín García Trueba	....	unit production manager
Antonio Martín	....	administrative manager
Nello Meniconi	....	assistant production manager
Luciano Perugia	....	production manager
Ricardo Sanz	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Maurizio Lucci	....	assistant director
Fernando Merino	....	assistant director
Raymond Villette	....	assistant director
Burr Jerger	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Rafael Borqué	....	set dresser
Antonio Luna	....	props
Antonio Mateos	....	props
Jesús Mateos	....	property master
Ricardo Mengíbar	....	props
Francisco Rodríguez Asensio	....	carpenter (as Asensio)

Sound Department
Ennio Sensi	....	sound

Special Effects by
Antonio Balandin	....	special effects
Francisco Garcia	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Sante Achilli	....	camera operator
Manuel Gijón	....	still photographer
Ennio Guarnieri	....	camera operator
Antonio Ibáñez	....	still photographer
Mariano Ruiz Capillas	....	camera operator: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Humberto Cornejo	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Alicia Castillo	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Ines Bruschi	....	script supervisor
Rafael Cuevas	....	production assistant
Mario Di Biase	....	production assistant
Denise Morlot	....	production secretary
Denise Morlot	....	script supervisor
José María Palacio	....	production secretary
Ángel Parrondo	....	production assistant
Antonio Roldán	....	key tailor
Thomas Sagone	....	production assistant (as Tommaso Sagone)
Fernando Somoza	....	production assistant
Alessandro von Norman	....	production assistant (as Alessandro von Normann)

Distributors

• Cinédis
• Divisa Home Video (2002-2009) (Spain) (DVD)
• Embassy Pictures Corporation (1963) (USA) (dubbed)
• Universal Films Española (Spain)

Other Companies

• Ediciones Surini Zerboni  music
• Exa S.A.  sound re-recording
• S.Y.R.E.  sound effects
• Viúda de Serrano  pyrotechnics

Also Known As:

Madame
Madame Sans-Gêne (USA)

Runtime:

98 min | USA:104 min (English dubbed version) | Italy:118 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Spain | Italy | France

Language:

Italian | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Portugal:17 | Spain:13 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Cosmopolitan Films, Tirrenia, Tuscany, Italy

Goofs:

Continuity: When the French revolutionary soldiers march against the Austrian camp, before Lefebvre sabotages the Austrian artillery, a large column of black smoke could be seen already, in the far distance.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Paris champagne (1962)

lots of sass and even a scene from "Bunker Hill Bunny"

As I understand it, Madame Sans-Gene (nee Catherine Hubscher) was a crude-mannered Parisian laundress around the time of the French Revolution. She hooked up with Sgt. Francois Joseph Lefebvre, whom Napoleon eventually appointed King of Westphalia. But it didn't end there.

Since I don't know anything specific about Madame Sans-Gene (except that her nickname means "Mrs. No Embarrassment", referring to her behavior), I have to take what this movie says. I don't know whether Christian-Jaque's "Madame Sans-Gene" is supposed to be a comedy, but it sure comes across as such. To be certain, the gunpowder trick during the sabotage scene reminded me of the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Bunker Hill Bunny".

Anyway, worth seeing, although the scenes early on where the guy fondles Sophia Loren make the movie hard to take seriously. I've never seen any of the other movie versions, so I can't compare it with those. Also starring Robert Hossein and Renaud Mary.