Simone Simon

A video essay by filmmaker Constantine Nasr.

Images and sounds expose the duality of Portugal during the days of WW2: a peaceful, god-loving, rural country, providing an escape route for over one hundred thousand European refugees to the Americas; and a political and cultural elite that disguised their Nazi inclinations just enough to play its neutral role in international politics.

The newsreel series Jornal Português (1938-1951) was produced for the Secretariat of National Propaganda (SPN/SNI) by the "Portuguese Newsreel Society" (SPAC), under the technical supervision of António Lopes Ribeiro. It was conceived and employed as part of the propaganda machinery of Salazar's regime. Screened in cinema theatres prior to the main feature film, each issue of Jornal had approximately ten minutes in length and covered a variety of official government acts, national political news, major sports events and other assorted social and cultural affairs. Jornal Português is not only an indispensable document for the history of Estado Novo's propaganda, but also an unparalleled audiovisual archive of 1940s Portugal.

Una tarde Pierre, un crítico musical, ve en una tienda a una misteriosa y elegante joven vestida completamente de azul, que llama poderosamente su atención. Desde entonces, no puede dejar de pensar en ella y empieza a buscarla por todo París. Aurélie, la mujer con la que mantiene una relación, primero se enfada, pero después acepta la situación y le ayuda a buscarla con la secreta esperanza de que acabe cansándose y olvidando esa extravagancia.

A 1965 episode of the French television program Cinéastes de notre temps, featuring interviews with many of film director Max Ophuls’s collaborators

Director William Fairchild's 1956 British comedy takes a peek into the private lives of various performers employed as extras in a new film that's currently shooting.

Un inútil ratero y un ladrón de guante blanco coinciden en una casa. El segundo está allí para hacerle chantaje a la mujer de la que posee unas cartas dirigidas a su amante, con ellas pretende hacerse con los millones de la caja fuerte. (FILMAFFINITY)

Adaptación de tres cuentos del escritor francés Guy de Maupassant que versan sobre el placer: (1) Un hombre extraño, que asiste a un popular baile de máscaras en París, baila hasta caer extenuado. El médico que lo atiende descubre sorprendido que tras la máscara se oculta un anciano. Cuando lo acompaña a su casa, la esposa le cuenta al médico la triste historia del bailarín. (2) A Madame Tellier, que regenta un prostíbulo, la invita su hermano Joseph a la primera comunión de su hija. La Madame cierra el negocio y se traslada con sus pupilas a la lejana granja de Joseph para asistir a la ceremonia. Terminada la fiesta, regresan al prostíbulo en medio del regocijo de los hombres, que ya las echaban de menos. (3) Un famoso artista se enamora de su bella modelo Josephine. Sólo pinta retratos de ella y alcanza el éxito, pero su historia de amor tiene un final inesperado.

"Olivia" narra las nacientes pasiones que despierta una adolescente inglesa enviada durante un año a estudiar en una pequeña escuela parisina. (FILMAFFINITY)

En Viena, en la primavera de 1900, el soldado Franz conoce a Leocadia, una prostituta, pero acaba liándose con una criada, que pronto pasa a manos del señorito Alfred, el cual mantiene también un affaire con Emma, una mujer casada, cuyo millonario marido se entretiene con una modista que está enamorada del poeta Robert, amante de una gran actriz encaprichada con un joven teniente de dragones.

Women Without Names (Italian:Donne senza nome) is 1950 Italian drama film directed by Géza von Radványi and starring Simone Simon, Vivi Gioi and Françoise Rosay.[1] It is set in a displaced persons camp after the Second World War. It was made at Cinecittà in Rome.

The story of a harbor signalman who retrieves a suitcase full of money after witnessing a murder, fails to report it to the police, and finds himself the object of murderous and mercenary interest.

Petrus, a Montmartre photographer, is accidentally wounded by Migo, a dancer at the Frou Frou night club, when she is trying to shoot her faithless lover Rodrigue, a counterfeiter. Though Petrus tries to reconcile the lovers, Migo lands up with him after Rodrigue is finally killed by another jealous dancer.

1870. En la Francia ocupada durante la Guerra Franco-prusiana, una joven lavandera comparte un coche con varias personas de rango superior. Pero cuando uno de los oficiales prusianos requisa el carruaje, las distintas categorías sociales entran en juego dejando a un lado los valores tales como la integridad moral y la ética. La lavandera, llamada Mademoiselle Fifi por uno de los más brutales oficiales, les hará frente para intentar detenerles en sus arrogantes y despóticos actos contra el humillado pueblo francés.

Una joven alquila un apartamento a un hombre que se acaba de alistar en los marines. El problema es que ha dado las llaves a media docena de amigos, que no paran de dejarse caer por el piso.

Amy, la hija de Oliver, un arquitecto naval, vive en un mundo de ensueños, lo que preocupa a su padre. No tiene amigos de su edad, pero encuentra una amiga imaginaria, Irena, la difunta esposa de su padre. Se hace también amiga de Julia Farren, una actriz de cierta edad que vive recluida en su casa. Cuando Oliver se enfada y castiga a Amy, ella huye y tiene lugar una frenética búsqueda durante una tormenta de nieve. (FILMAFFINITY)

The "Eleven Brooklyn Bombshells," a band led by Mickey Monroe ('Dennis O'Keefe (I)' ), are stranded in Tahiti at the time of the fall of France to the Nazis. Suzette "Suzie" Durand (Simone Simon). a French-American girl singing in a nightclub is consumed with a desire to go to the United States. Things go from bad to worse for the band,. and they are faced with the necessity of either taking a girl singer into the group,which they all regard as bad luck, or starving. The band insists that she be dropped as soon as they can earn enough to catch a bot home. But Mickey falls in love with Suzie, and smuggles her on board the ship.

Oliver conoce a Irena durante una visita al zoo, se enamoran y acaban contrayendo matrimonio. Durante el convite, una misteriosa mujer aparece y afirma ser pariente de Irena. Ella comienza desde entonces a comportarse de manera extraña. Por ello, Oliver solicita la ayuda del doctor Judd, un psiquiatra, mientras confía sus temores a Alice, una amiga. Los celos de Irena complicarán aún más la situación, poniendo en peligro la vida de Alice.

Jabez Stone es un laborioso granjero que intenta ganarse la vida honestamente. Sin embargo, una racha de mala suerte le impulsa a cometer lo inimaginable: hacer un trato con el mismísimo Demonio. A cambio de siete años de buena fortuna, Stone promete su alma al "Señor Scratch". Cuando el atribulado granjero se da cuenta de su error, busca la ayuda de un hombre que puede salvarle. El legendario orador y político Daniel Webster.

Cavalcade D'Amour is divided into three sections, each depicting a romance occurring within the walls of the Chateau de Champs. Legend has it that whoever marries in the Chateau is doomed to an unhappy life. This proves to be the case in 1639 and 1839, but the heroine of the 1939 segment, Corinne Luchaire, is determined to break the jinx. She is convinced that she will prove an unsuitable bride for Claude Dauphin, and he is likewise convinced that he will turn out to be an inadequate groom. But the couple's respective families will not be dissuaded, and the marriage takes place as scheduled? with unexpectedly happy results!

Inspirada en la novela homónima de E. Zola. El maquinista de tren Lantier (Jean Gabin) es un hombre solitario marcado por el estigma hereditario de la locura. No puede reprimir su misoginia y su trato con las mujeres es muy violento. Solo es feliz mientras conduce su locomotora que cubre el trayecto desde Le Havre hasta París. Su gran error será hacerse amante de Sévérine (Simone Simon), que querría inducirlo a matar a su marido.

This short shows how Hollywood gets ready for the world premiere of an "important" movie. The film celebrated here is Marie Antoinette (1938), which had its premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre. We see the street leading to the theatre transformed to suggest a garden that might be seen in a French palace. This includes the placement of trees and other foliage, as well as large statues along the route. Grandstands are set up so fans can see their favorite stars as they arrive for the premiere. Finally, the proverbial "galaxy of stars" arrives in their limousines. Fanny Brice and Pete Smith make remarks at the microphone set up on the carpet outside the theatre.

Two young men try to wrest their father from the clutches of a gold digger but by mistake think the woman is a young nightclub singer with whom they both fall in love.

As part of their public feud, Bandleader Bernie pretends a girl singer is no good so columnist Winchell promotes her in his column.

Entrañable historia romántica entre un trabajador de las alcantarillas y una joven a quien él libra de ser detenida por la policía. 'Chico' la invita a permanecer unos días en su apartamento con la condición de que se marche cuando se arregle la situación.

Tres jovencitas –Loretta Young, Janet Gaynor y Constance Bennett– deciden arreglar sus vidas para siempre buscando maridos ricos. El enredo está servido cuando la primera de ellas seduce a un aristócrata (Tyrone Power), con la mala fortuna de que ya está comprometido. Así que, desesperada, decide suicidarse con veneno, pero la dosis – ciertamente menor– es bebida por error por su amiga Gaynor, que es atendida por un atractivo doctor (Don Ameche), del que se enamora. Al tiempo que Bennett hace caer en sus redes amorosas a un hombre de negocios de mediana edad (Wilfrid Lawson).

Cuando una maestra de entrometidos en una escuela de niñas encuentra una carta de amor de un estudiante a un hombre desconocido, un escándalo menor estalla. Supuso el primer papel de cierta enjundia para Tyrone Power, que se labraría una extensa filmografía en la Fox.

Sylvie, a rich girl, learns at the same time the death and the ruin of her father. Forced to find work in Paris, she is given shelter by a medical student who soon falls for her. Another young man falls in love with her. When her benefactor gets ill and finally dies, Sylvie refuses to give the other man her heart out of faithfulness for the dearly departed. But youth commands and after a time love -but not oblivion - triumphs.

In 1913, in Russia, a widower hides from his daughter that he is butler in a restaurant of rendezvous. She meets a banker who seeks to seduce her and takes her to this restaurant. The father, knowing the decadent life of this client, immediately sends his daughter back home. The pure love that her piano teacher gives her will allow the girl to console herself for her disillusions.

A handsome but penniless young man takes a summer job as a swimming instructor in a picturesque Alpine lake resort. He falls in love with a young heiress who is staying there with her father, but he also grabs the attention of tomboyish Puck who lives on the other side of the lake and who saves him from drowning one foggy night. Further havoc is caused by the arrival of Eric's old sweetheart whose husband is wanted by the police.

A woman steals to have enough money to please her husband. Her nephew, madly in love with her, reports this to a detective who catches her red handed.

The maid of a doctor, he had some canvases he didn't care for bestowed on him once by an unknown artist, thankfully has saved them as the paintings are now worth some money and others want them.

His aunt hopes to make this young aristocrat an honored soldier. But the colonel has it out for him.Will the new recruit be able to adapt to military life?

After he is thought dead, a painter who had no success before suddenly becomes a man of repute, and a statue is even prepared in his honor.

A hotel worker who is really an aristocrat falls for a lady customer but instead of getting married he prefers to stay at work and get what female company he can from the staff.

An unemployed youth pretends to be the long lost son of an elderly industrialist but after helping the man with his business decides to confess his dishonesty and go away.

A bureaucratic civil servant is annoyed by the spoiled daughter of a rich chocolate maker, but lands up marrying her.

A singer who is believed dead returns with a decidedly different appearance. He has been in Russia and has lost his memory. But his wife still loves him.

Célestin, the organist of a convent, has written and composed a light operetta under the name of Floridor. One day, the Mother Superior asks him to chaperone one of the boarders, Denise de Flavigny, who is returning home to get married. Now, Denise, for all her goody goody looks, soon proves as saucy as can be. Things get even more complicated when Célestin starts courting Corinne, the star of his operetta, to the great displeasure of a commander of dragons, the young woman's lover. Worse, the latter is none other than the Mother Superior's brother... To say nothing of Lieutenant Fernand de Champlatreux, who happens to fall in love with Denise, his fiancée that he has never seen before...!

Two different sales agents named Max Durand live at the same address. One of them pretends to be the other so he make the money and get the girl that he wants.