Coeur de lilas 1932

Also known as Lilac, this early Anatole Litvak-directed talkie was based on a play by Tristan Bernard and Charles Henry Hirsch. The story bears traces of the Bertold Brecht-Weill piece The Threepenny Opera, with heroine Lilac (Marcelle Romeo) consorting with the criminal scum of Paris. Lilac falls in love with a handsome detective (Andre Luguet), but he doesn't let his emotions stand in the way of his duty, and in the end he reluctantly turns her over to the authorities. At $120,000, Coeur de Lilas was one of the most expensive movies to come out of France in 1931, but it more than made back its cost at the box-office.

Cast:

Marcelle Romee
Coeur de Lilas 

André Luguet
André Lucot 

Fréhel
La Douleur 

Jean Gabin
Martousse 

Lydie Villars
La Crevette 

Fordyce
Mme Darny 

• Lilac