Joan of Paris

Joan of Paris (1942)

Lured By Love Into The Relentless Grip Of The World's Most Dreaded TERROR!

An RAF squadron is brought down over occupied France. The flyers get to Paris in spite of the fact that the youngest, Baby, is injured. He must be hidden and his wounds cared for. The Gestapo has already issued orders for their arrest.

Date of release
1942-01-20
TMDB
6.5 / 10 (13)
Runtime
1h 31m
Genres
Romance, War, Drama
Director
Robert Stevenson

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Awards: 0 · Nominations: 1

Joan of Paris is a 1942 war film about five Royal Air Force pilots shot down over Nazi-occupied France during World War II and their attempt to escape to England. It stars Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid, with Thomas Mitchell, Laird Cregar and May Robson in her last role.

Production

The working title of this film was "Joan of Arc" and was the first war-themed film from RKO Radio Pictures. According to pre-production news items in The Hollywood Reporter, RKO considered Charles Boyer, Robert Morley and Jean Gabin for leads in the film. Producer David Hempstead wanted Julien Duvivier to direct the project because Gabin and Michele Morgan had worked with Duvivier in Europe.

Charles Bennett said the original script was done by Ellis St. Joseph '"but his screenplay wasn't very good. And it made me sad, because I thought he was a hell of a good writer. But it didn't work, so they called me in."

Joan of Paris used the largest single set constructed by the studio since the making of Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939). Principal photography took place from mid-September to late October 1941, and although ready for release in December 1941, RKO held the film back for an early 1942 release to capitalize on public interest in the aftermath of the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry into World War II.

Bennett says Alan Ladd was suggested to Bennett at a party by Ladd's agent and manager, Sue Carol, who soon became Ladd's wife. The writer recalled, "I said to him, 'Do you think you could play an English part?' He said, 'Of course I could!' So he acted in front of me at this cocktail party, and I thought, "Yes! This is it, this is it.'" Bennett introduced Ladd to the producer and director and he was cast.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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