Le chanteur inconnu (1931)

Le chanteur inconnu: Directed by Viktor Tourjansky. With Lucien Muratore, Simone Cerdan, Jim Gérald, Ghislaine Bru. 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.

“Actually, the answer is no great mystery, but I wonu0026#39;t spoil it. A French traveling salesman discovers a French singer in Russia who is a natural talent. Unfortunately, the singer has amnesia and has no idea who he is. The salesman puts a mask on the guy, bills him as The Unknown Singer and he becomes a hit all over Europe. But will his identity remain a secret when he performs in Paris? The plot is wafer thin but enjoyable for what it is. As would be expected by the title, there is a lot of music, so if youu0026#39;re a fan of 30s French music, this should be right up your alley. The singer was played by Lucien Muratore, who was a famous French opera singer at the time. His voice is fine but he is kind of a stiff in the movie as is the actress who plays his love interest. The movie is enlivened, however, by the presence of Jim Gerald, who plays the singeru0026#39;s manager and a young Simone Simon (of Cat People fame) who plays the reporter assigned to find out the singeru0026#39;s identity. Co-written by Henri-Georges Clouzot, but this is a far cry from his later masterpieces.”