La Belle Nivernaise
About La Belle Nivernaise
Bargeman Louveau finds an abandoned boy, Victor, and is allowed to raise him with his own family on the canal boat La Belle Nivernaise. Ten years later Victor and Louveau’s daughter Clara are in love. Louveau is called to Paris. Victor is the son of Maugendré, a charcoal shipper on the Nivernaise canal. Jean Epstein directed. Pierre Hot plays Louveau. Maurice Touzé plays Victor. Blanche Montel plays Clara.
Cast & crew
More about La Belle Nivernaise
Epstein adapted Alphonse Daudet’s story of the same name. Marie Lacroix plays Mme Louveau. Jean-David Évremond plays Maugendré. Wikipedia dates the release 25 January 1924 and times the film at 69 minutes. A Commons file of the picture is timed at 1 hour and 16 minutes. The English title used on Wikipedia is The Beauty from Nivernais.
Themes
Making
Epstein filmed Daudet’s barge story as a silent drama, with the canal boat as the house the boy grows up on.
Preservation
The film survives. A copy is on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- The boy’s name in the film is Victor, not Jacques.
- The boat and the story share the title.
- Max Bonnet is billed as one of the crew.
- A Commons file names Epstein and the year.
Scenes
- Louveau finds Victor and takes him aboard.
- Years later Victor and Clara are in love.
- Paris identifies Victor as Maugendré’s son.
Influenced by
- Alphonse Daudet’s story La belle Nivernaise
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (La Belle Nivernaise (1924) by Jean Epstein.webm)
