| The Pearls of the Crown | |
| Director: | Sacha Guitry Christian-Jaque |
| Producer: | Serge Sandberg |
| Starring: | Jacqueline Delubac Sacha Guitry Lyn Harding Renée Saint-Cyr |
| Music: | Jean Françaix |
| Cinematography: | Jules Kruger |
| Editing: | Myriam Borsoutsky William Barache |
| Studio: | Cinéas Impérial Film |
| Distributor: | Films Sonores Tobis |
| Runtime: | 118 minutes |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French English Italian |
The Pearls of the Crown (French: Les Perles de la couronne) is a 1937 French comedy film of historically based fiction by Sacha Guitry who plays four roles in it (many of the other performers play multiple roles, as well).[1] Guitry's Jean Martin investigates the history of seven pearls, four of which end up on the crown of England, while the other three initially go missing.[2]
It was made at the Billancourt Studios in Paris with location shooting at a variety of sites including the Abbaye de Royaumont, the Château de Louveciennes and aboard the S.S. Normandie. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jean Perrier.
Tracing the history of seven valuable pearls of the English Crown from the time of Henry VIII of England to the present day (1937). Writer Jean Martin (Sacha Guitry) attempts to track down three of the missing pearls by tracing their previous owners, with events seen in flashback, involving Napoleon, King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I of England amongst others.
Writing for Night and Day in 1937, Graham Greene gave the film a good review claiming that it "entertained me even more than it irritated me". Admitting some degree of distaste in director Guitry's general style and demeanor, Greene found admiration in Guitry's "ingenious[] attempts to give a wider circulation to a French picture by working the story out in three languages" and described his use of language in certain scenes as "cunningly and quite naturally arranged". Greene praised the story and the acting of Guitry and Delubac.[3]
TV Guide gave the film three out of four stars, writing, "Although Guitry chose to push the audience's patience a bit by filming the story in three languages, PEARLS OF THE CROWN is one of his finest works, and perhaps his least theatrical. (In French, Italian, and English; English subtitles)."[4]