CHILDREN'S FACES

CHILDREN'S FACES

Comedy drama of 1923 duration 116 ' N & B Mute

Director and script by Jacques FEYDER

Co-writer Françoise ROSAY

Directors of Photography Léonce-Henry BUREL and Paul PARGUEL

with

Suzy VERNON

Victor VINA

Henri DUVAL

Charles BARROIS

Jeanne MARIE-LAURENT

Rachel DEVIRYS

Jean FOREST

Arlette PEYRAN

Pierrette HOUYEZ

Arthur PORCHET

Released Jan. 24, 1925

summary

The village of Saint-Luc is the highest village in Europe. This is where the "president" of the commune, Pierre Amsler and his family live in the Swiss Valais. The death of the young Mrs. Amsler has severely tested her eldest son Jean, a hypersensitive nature, who can not admit the disappearance of the one he cherished.

A year later, Pierre Amsler thinks of remarrying. His interior is poorly kept, the children are left to their own devices. He wants to marry Jeanne Dutois, widow herself and mother of a little Arlette. However Amsler takes care to dismiss John for some time. He sends him to his godfather, a priest from a neighboring village who must prepare the child, when he returns, to be put before a fait accompli.

Jeanne Dutois est une montagnarde alerte et gaie, extrêmement travailleuse, ennemie des songes et des rêveries. Profondément choqué par les transformations inévitables de la maison, par le changement des habitudes, Jean souffre cruellement à propos des bijoux de sa mère ou des vêtements qu'elle portait, et se persuade que sa belle-mère n'est qu'une marâtre. De plus, il se heurte sans arrêt à sa demi-sœur Arlette. Peu à peu les enfants arrivent à se détester, L'hiver est revenu, et, certains soirs, Jean encourage Arlette à partir pour rechercher sa poupée perdue.

The little girl leaves in the snow, goes astray; anxiety and remorse assail John who resolves to tell his father everything. The research is organized. However, the outbreak of an avalanche surprised the girl who took refuge in a chapel where the mountaineers find her unconscious and return it to her parents. Jean then runs up against the coldness of his father. He believes himself guilty of a great crime, wants to die. He runs to the torrent and lets himself slip.

It is Jeanne, alerted by her daughter, who rushes and saves the child who was going to be swept into the abyss where cascading water falls. When John returns to him, he suddenly understands the affection that his new mother has for him and, for the first time, he calls her mother.