Main Cast: Joan Fontaine, Arturo de Cordova, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Cecil Kellaway
Release Year: 1944
Country: US
Run Time: 113 minutes
Plot
Daphne du Maurier's novel formed the basis for this romantic adventure saga. Lady Dona St. Columb (Joan Fontaine), an English noblewoman, is unhappily married to the weak-willed Harry St. Columb (Ralph Forbes), while Harry's sinister best friend Lord Rockingham (Basil Rathbone) makes no secret of his desire for her. When she discovers the ship of a French pirate, Jean Benoit Aubrey (Arturo DeCordova), docked near her estate, she makes the acquaintance of the dashing buccaneer, and she soon finds herself infatuated with him. Dona impulsively joins Jean as he stages a raid against wealthy landowner Lord Godolphin (Nigel Bruce); when Dona learns that Harry and Rockingham plan to capture the pirate, she stages a dinner party to distract them and then sends word to Jean that he is in danger. Jean soon appears at the St. Columb estate, putting Harry and Rockingham behind bars and urging Dona to run away with him. She declines, choosing not to follow her heart but to instead stay home to raise her children; however, Rockingham overhears this conversation and uses it to blackmail Dona into having his way with her. Frenchman's Creek earned an Academy Award for Sam V. Comer's set decoration and design. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Ralph Forbes - Harry St. Columb; Harold Ramond - Edmund; Billy Daniels - Pierre Blanc; Moyna MacGill - Lady Godolphin; Patricia Barker - Henrietta; David James - James; Mary Field - Prue; David Clyde - Coachman; Charles Coleman - Footman; Paul Oman - Luc; Evan Thomas - Robert Penrose; Leslie Denison - John Nankervia; Denis Green - Philip Rashleigh; George Kirby - Dr. Williams; Phyllis Barry - Women in Gambling House; Edward Cooper - Croupier; Art Foster; Vince Gironda; Arthur E. Gould-Porter - Thomas Kustick; Frank S. Hagney - Cornishman; Leyland Hodgson; Kenneth Hunter; Boyd Irwin; Fred Kohler, Jr.; Doris Lloyd; Gordon Richards - Guest; Victor Romito; John Roy; Sammy Stein; Bob Stevenson; Armand Tanny; David Thursby - Ostler; Constance Worth; Allen Pinson; George Barton; Henry Escalante; Keith Hitchcock - Watchman; Rube Schaffer; Jimmie Dime; Bobby Clark; Ronnie Rondell
The film is a mostly faithful adaptation of the novel, taking place during the reign of Charles II in the mid seventeenth century, mostly in the Cornish region of England.[1]
Fontaine was under contract to independent producer to David O. Selznick, who only produced a few films each year. Typically, he loaned out his contract players and director Alfred Hitchcock (who had a contract with Selznick from 1940 to 1947) to other studios. In this case, Fontaine was loaned to Paramount for this lavish production. She later complained about her work with director Leisen and some of her costars.[2]
Although the film has not been released on DVD, it has been shown on American Movie Classics.
