ComedyDrama

Clockface Cafe

Julien Couturier and his wife Louise, a young couple from Auvergne who have come to Paris to try their luck for the first time in their lives, become the owners of the "Café du Cadran" ("Clockface Cafe"). On opening day, they meet the people who will become their clientele. It's a busy place, with regular customers served by two waiters, Jules and Victor. While Julien is comfortable in his role as boss, Louise doesn't quite get used to this urban world, where everything moves faster, especially human feelings. She often misses Marcenait, the village in Auvergne where she and her husband ran the "Café du Commerce". Mr. Luigi, a café customer and violinist who performs at the "Café de Paris", has undertaken Louise's cultural education. He teaches her how to dress and do her hair, while recounting his musical successes and travels, skilfully playing on his undeniable seductiveness...

Release Date : 1947-06-27

Language :French

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Société Nouvelle des Films DispaSafia

Production Country : France

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Julien Couturier

Original Name : Bernard Blier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Louise Couturier

Original Name : Blanchette Brunoy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lugi, le violoniste

Original Name : Aimé Clariond

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jeanne

Original Name : Nane Germon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Victor, garçon de café

Original Name : Charles Vissières

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jules, garçon de café

Original Name : Robert Le Fort

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gregorio

Original Name : Félix Oudart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bianchi, le truand

Original Name : Pierre Sergeol

Gender : Male

Character Name : Biscarra , un journaliste

Original Name : Robert Seller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dumur

Original Name : Jean Deninx

Gender : Male

Character Name : Aubert

Original Name : Georges Bréhat

Gender : Male

Character Name : Achille

Original Name : Olivier Darrieux

Gender : Male

Character Name : La concierge

Original Name : Jane Morlet

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Jean Sylvère

Gender : Male

Character Name : L'amoureux

Original Name : Jacques Denoël

Gender : Male

Character Name : La bonne

Original Name : Colette Vepierre

Gender : Male

Character Name : Le nouveau propriétaire du « Café du Cadran »

Original Name : Marcel Lestan

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Valliery

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Jean Brunel

Gender : Male

Character Name : L'encaisseur

Original Name : Eddy Debray

Gender : Male

Character Name : La nouvelle propriétaire du « Café du Cadran »

Original Name : France Descaut

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Jean-Pierre Lorrain

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Colette Morel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Le mendiant

Original Name : Sternay

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Valéry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Un spectacteur

Original Name : Roger Vincent

Gender : Male

Reviews

Sigmund Kühßeir

@VinceBass

2024-01-14

**THE FILM** (_Please note, the contents of this section reveal the film's entire plot_) Julien Couturier (Bernard Blier) and his wife Louise (Blanchette Brunoy), a young couple from Auvergne who have come to Paris to try their luck for the first time in their lives, become the owners of the "Café du Cadran". On opening day, they meet the people who will become their customers. The place is packed with regulars, served by two waiters, Jules (Robert Le Fort) and Victor (Charles Vissières). Among the regulars are two journalists from the newspaper next door, one of whom, Biscarra (Robert Seller), is charmed by Louise's good looks. From now on, he'll be the first customer to open every day. Another regular is Grégorio (Félix Oudart), a truculent drunk who announces his arrival by blowing his horn. He's also the head hunter at the Café de Paris across the street, where the seductive Mr. Luigi (Aimé Clariond), a talented violinist, also hails from. While Julien is at ease in his role as boss, Louise is not used to this to this urban world, where everything moves faster, especially human feelings. human feelings. She often misses Marcenat, the village in Auvergne where she where she and her husband ran the "Café du Commerce". But Mr. Luigi has undertaken Louise's cultural education. He teaches her how to dress and do her hair, while recounting his musical successes and travels, skilfully playing on his undeniable seductiveness. Julien, happy to see his wife transformed in this way, suspects nothing of Luigi's activities, busy as he is setting up illegal betting operations under the influence of a mobster named Bianci (Pierre Sergeol). Julien's head is turned upside down when the drunkard Grégorio, who never sobers up, tells him that he saw Louise and Luigi enter a cabaret when the young woman was supposed to be having dinner at an aunt's house. Believing himself deceived, Julien shoots Louise as soon as he returns to the café.0 Fortunately, he only wounds her. And the young couple, finally back together, set off for Marcenat, selling "Le Café du Cardan" to new owners. **THE STORY** This is the first film directed by Jean Gehret, a Swiss-born filmmaker born in Geneva on January 10, 1900. J. Gehret left his hometown in 1927 to devote himself to his true passion, music. He was administrator of the _Concernts Poulet_, and from 1927 to 1931, of the Paris Symphony Orchestra. Then he was tempted by the cinema. Upstream, as an actor, in particular in several films by Jean Renoir, _La Chienne_ (1931), _Boudu sauvé des eaux_ (1932) and _La Nuit du Carrefour_ (1932). But also in those of Pierre Chenal: _Crime et châtiment_ (1935). Later, he was production manager on films by Jacques Becker, _Dernier atout_ (1942), _Fabalas_ (1945) and Pierre Prévert, _Adieu Léonard_ (1943). After "Le Café du Cardran", supervised by Henri Decoin, Jean Gehret directed _Tabusse_ (1948), _Le Crime des justes_ (1948), _Orage d'été_ (1949). His last feature, _La Loterie du bonheur_ with Yves Deniaud, was shot in 1952. The filmmaker died in Paris on October 22, 1956, having made a short film _La Fête des vignerons_ in Switzerland a few months earlier. According to Bernard Blier, the film's real director is Henri Decoin: "_It's a film that was made by a guy who didn't sign it. It was signed by a guy called Jean Gehret, who was a former production manager for Renoir. He was a very nice, very funny Swiss guy, but he couldn't be a director. So he signed the film that Decoin made. Because it was a time when Decoin and Clouzot were banned for collaboration, as they say. But neither of them were ever collaborators._" **_Monsieur Cinéma's fact sheets_** - (**_Les fiches de monsieur Cinéma_**)