Edouard et Caroline

press release: France | 1951 | DCP | 91 min. | French with English Subtitles

Director: Jacques Becker; Cast: Daniel Gélin, Anne Vernon, Elina Labourdette

Pianist Edouard (Gélin) and his wife Caroline (Vernon) are expected at her snobby uncle's house for a party, but an evening-long argument threatens to derail Edouard's plans to wow the fancy party guests with his musical skills. “Has the allure of an American screwball comedy but with increased class-consciousness” (David Mermelstein, The Wall Street Journal).

Jacques Becker: A Master Before the Wave

An enormously versatile director, Jacques Becker (1906–1960) distinguished himself in the French film industry with a series of box office successes that saw him oscillating between period melodramas, working-class romances, nail-biting studies in suspense, and even an absorbing biopic of a great artist. Becker, in a career that was cut short by his untimely death at age 53, counted Francois Truffaut, Jean Renoir and Jean-Pierre Melville among his admirers. This series provides a healthy sampling of Becker’s strong body of work, including all three features (Antoine et Antoinette, Rendezvous in July, Edouard et Caroline) that comprise his “Youth Trilogy.” Special Thanks to Rialto Pictures and Amélie Garin-Davet and Laurence Geannopulos of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.