Second Bureau (1935 film)

Second Bureau
Second Bureau
Directed by	Pierre Billon
Written by	Charles Robert-Dumas (novel); Bernard Zimmer;
Produced by	Antoine de Rouvre; Jacques Schwob-d'Héricourt;
Starring	Jean Murat; Véra Korène; Janine Crispin; Jean-Max;
Cinematography	Georges Asselin
Edited by	Marguerite Beaugé
Music by	Jean Lenoir
Production; company	Société des Films Vega
Distributed by	Compagnie Française Cinématographique
Release date	20 September 1935;
Running time	105 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Second Bureau (French: Deuxième bureau) is a 1935 French spy romance film directed by Pierre Billon and starring Jean Murat, Véra Korène and Janine Crispin. It is based on the novel Second Bureau by Charles Robert-Dumas. The following year it was remade as a British film by Victor Hanbury.^[1] The book was one of a spy series Ceux du S. R. published in France by Librarie Arthème Fayard in 1934.^[2] The film's sets were designed by the art director Aimé Bazin. It was followed by a sequel Wolves Between Them in 1936.

Synopsis

Capitaine Benoit of the French secret service manages to steal the plans of Germany's new fighter plane. German intelligence assigns one of their top female agents to recover the stolen designs.

Partial cast

Jean Murat as Capitaine Benoit
Véra Korène as L'Espionne Erna Flieder
Janine Crispin as Dorothee
Jean-Max as Comte Brusilot
Pierre Alcover as Weygelmann
Pierre Magnier as Colonel Guerraud
Georges Prieur as General Von Raugwitz
Geno Ferny as L'Aubergiste
Pierre Larquey as Asjundant Colleret
Jean Galland as Lieutenant Van Strammer
Andrée Moreau as Nageberger
Henry Bonvallet as Schaffingen

Critical reception

Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene characterized the film as "a rather dull film, [and as] a long packed melodrama". With the exception of the "sinister and satiric" first scene that was described as "brilliant", Greene took the view that on the whole "the film is too thick with drama". Taking issue with the film's genre, Greene suggests that satire and realism would have been more effective in handling the picture's themes.^[3]

References

^ Low382 p.
^ https://www.worldcat.org/title/ceux-du-sr-2e-bureau/oclc/458035009?referer=br&ht=edition ^{[bare URL]}
^ Greene, Graham (17 January 1936). "Second Bureau/Sans Famille". The Spectator. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 0192812866.)

Bibliography

Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.

External links

Second Bureau at IMDb
BnF archival documents relating to the film ^[1]

This article related to a French film of the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

^ [Documents concernant le film "Deuxième bureau", d'après un roman de Charles Robert-Dumas, réalisation Pierre Billion, 1935].

[1] Low382 p.

[2] ttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ceux-du-sr-2e-bureau/oclc/458035009?referer=br&ht=edition ^{[bare URL]}

[3] Greene, Graham (17 January 1936). "Second Bureau/Sans Famille". The Spectator. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 0192812866.)

[4] [Documents concernant le film "Deuxième bureau", d'après un roman de Charles Robert-Dumas, réalisation Pierre Billion, 1935].

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