Hand-Picked Alternatives for Fans of Sarati, le terrible: Cult Guide

Dir: René Hervil

Jean Fleury, a young engineer who has designed a revolutionary engine for the Revoil motor company, is engaged to Aimée Valois, a seamstress, his neighbor across the hall. But the charming young lady is hired one day by a nightclub and lets herself be lured by the easy life in Paris. So much so that, to Jean's great distress, she breaks up with him. But, along with time, Aimée gets tired of her vain and frivolous lifestyle and comes back to Jean.

Dir: René Hervil

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Jeanne Doré perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Jeanne Doré's profligate husband is hopelessly addicted to gambling, and is threatened with expulsion from his club because of his heavy indebtedness to another gambler member. Confessing his disgrace to his wife (Mme. Bernhardt), she offers to save him from disgrace by selling her jewels. With the money thus obtained he goes to his club, determined to pay his debts and live up to the pledge he has made to his wife to gamble no more. However, the lure of the roulette wheel overcomes his resolve; he loses all his money on "just one more turn of the wheel," and rather than face his disgrace, commits suicide. Left with her young son to support, Jeanne Doré is forced to sell her remaining possessions and live as best she can until her husband's uncle takes pity upon her and buys for her a small stationery shop in Paris. Here mother and son prosper until the boy reaches early manhood. One day he falls suddenly and violently in love with a married woman, who comes to his mother's shop to make purchases. An intrigue with the unscrupulous female leads the young man to murder the same uncle who had befriended himself and mother. The youth, with the assistance of Jeanne Doré, makes good his escape. Well clear of immediate capture, the boy comes back to the scene of his crime and succeeds in his efforts to once more affect a liaison with his mistress. By accident he is discovered and captured, thrown into jail, is tried and convicted of the murder and sentenced to the guillotine. Even in these desperate straits he seeks to gain some response to his affection for the woman, who promptly spurned and repudiated him. He prevails upon his devoted mother to become a messenger in his service and her appeals, likewise, fall upon deaf ears. Instead of telling the boy that her quest has been fruitless, Jeanne Doré goes to the prison herself, on the evening before the boy's neck is to be given to the knife, and poses as the woman he had expressed himself, to his own mother, as the one he most wished to see. The boy goes to the guillotine, and the final scene depicts the devoted mother in the extreme agony of watching, from a window across the street, the execution of her son.

Dir: René Hervil

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Hervil

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of La meilleure maîtresse perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A young provincial engineer sends romantic stories he has written to a cousin in Paris, who claims them as his own work.The writer comes to the city and for a while gets even with his relative by having a fling with the man's wife.

Dir: René Hervil

Susan Daubray's father, a judge, insists upon her reading law. Her brother, Robert, is her only real companion. She has a kind friend in Daddy Dorand, a goatherd on a neighboring island. Prince Michael of Sylvana is visiting the Duke of Valdimere, whose castle is near Susan's home. Susan meets the Prince and they become close friends. The Prince is called to Paris to meet Princess Sonia. He writes to Susan, but his letter is intercepted by the Duke, who disapproves of the acquaintance. Susan, unable to bear the sorrow of the loss of her friend, goes to the Duke's castle to learn the reason why the Prince does not write. While in the castle she faints and a ring which the Prince had given her is taken from her finger by the Duke and returned to its original owner, the Prince. The Prince thinks that Susan has forgotten him and he consents to marry the Princess. A baby is born to Susan and she is told by her father to leave his house. She goes with the goatherd to live. Her brother, who has gone to America, returns and, learning of the Prince's deceit, seeks him out an in a fight and he, the brother, is thrown over a balcony and killed. The Prince then learns of the intercepted letter and finds Susan and they are reconciled. Susan, after the reconciliation, is content to die in her happiness and drowns herself.

Dir: René Hervil

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Sweetness of Loving perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Hervil

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Hervil

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of A Naked Soul perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Blanchette, whose parents have sacrificed to give her an education, has received her teaching diploma, but is unable to find work. A dispute with her father leads to her being throw out of the house, and she goes to Paris to look for work.

Dir: René Hervil

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Hervil

Bicard nicknamed Le Bouif earns 1,000 francs for lending his body to the experiments conducted by Professor Caligari. Further adventures await him when he encounters Ladislas, a young reveler, who happens to be the crown prince of Corinthia. This one, who favors living it up over his royal duty, commissions Bicard to replace him on the throne...