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The History of French Cinema: 1942

1/1 -

The Lumiere factories in Lyon are forced to close due to a coal shortage, which means the end of the manufacture of negative film in the unoccupied zone. [ADD]

31/1 -

Box-office receipts in Paris for January 1942 are up 68% on the previous January. [ADD]

10/2 -

A new law forbids Jews and foreigners from using a pseudonym on screen. [ADD]

1/4 - 

Christian-Jaque’s La Symphonie fantastique, which tells the story of the life of French composer Hector Berlioz, is released.   Jean-Louis Barrault stars as the composer, and is supported by Renee Saint-Cyr and Jules Berry. [ADD]

8/7 -

Sacha Guitry donates a painting by Utrillo valued at 650,000 francs to the Union of Artists’ Gala in Paris. [ADD]

20/7 -

Avant-garde film director, theorist and critic Germaine Dulac dies. [ADD]

6/8 -

Suzy Delair and Pierre Fresnay star in L’assassin habite… au 21 (The Murderer Lives at No. 21), screenwriter Henri-George Clouzot’s directorial debut. [ADD]

15/10 -

A new law prohibits English or American films from being screened in France.   Any existing copies are to be handed in to the Ministry of Information.  [ADD]

13/11 -

The actress Gina Manes is seriously wounded by a tiger while taking part in a performance at the Medrano circus in Paris. [ADD]

16/11 -

Jean Delannoy’s Macao, l’enfer du jeu, starring  Sessue Hayawaka and Pierre Renoir, is released. [ADD]

5/12 -

Marcel Carne’s Les Visiteurs du soir (The Devil’s Envoy) is released.   Starring Alain Cuny, Arletty and Jules Berry, the film is seen by many as an allegory of the German occupation of France. [ADD]

Other Key French Films of 1942

The History of Cinema: 1942