Le Bal
Encyclopedia
Le Bal is the title of collection of 2 novellas written by Irène Némirovsky
Irène Némirovsky
Irène Némirovsky was a French novelist who died at the age of 39 in Auschwitz, Nazi Germany occupied Poland. She was killed by the Nazis for being classified as a Jew under the racial laws, which did not take into account her conversion to Roman Catholicism.-Biography:Irène Némirovsky was born in...

. Published in France in 1930, it has been recently re-issued, due to the increasing interest in and popularity of the author's work, following the discovery and publication of Suite Française
Suite française (Irène Némirovsky)
Suite française is the title of a planned sequence of five novels by Irène Némirovsky, a French writer of Ukrainian Jewish origin. In July 1942, having just completed the first two of the series, Némirovsky was arrested as a Jew and detained at Pithiviers and then Auschwitz, where she allegedly...

.

Le Bal is a short novella about a German Jewish family living in Paris; Snow in Autumn is a poignant tale of Russian emigres fleeing to France following the Bolshevik Revolution.

It was made into films in 1931 and 1983.

Le Bal

Le Bal was made into a film when first published. It tells the story of a young girl, Antoinette Kampf, who lives with her parents in an opulent apartment in Paris. It wasn't always like this; the father had to work hard to amass his fortune, but he was determined to succeed. She has a difficult relationship with her mother, Rosine. Rosine has had a rather shady past, and is equally as determined as her husband to be "accepted" into French high society. To this end they plan a Ball. They invite all the titled and the rich of Paris, they spend fortunes on the food, music, and champagne. For Rosine, all must be perfect. The daughter is thrilled at the prospect; however, her mother has no intention of letting her go to the Ball. Antoinette feels betrayed by her mother, and by her Governess, Miss Betty, who is seeing a young man secretly. Finally, Antoinette makes a decision that will wreak a terrible revenge upon her mother.

Snow in Autumn

Snow in Autumn is told through the eyes of the faithful old maid of a White Russian family. She has nursed all the children through the years, and now, with a heavy heart, she sees the youngest male members of the family leave to fight in the Great War.

Following the revolution, she stays in the house, and awaits the family's return. However, they flee to Paris, except the youngest, who, on his return to the old family home is shot dead by his former friend. Traumatised, Tatiana must join the family in Paris to tell them of the son's death. She stays on with them, but she, unlike the younger members of the family, cannot adapt to the cramped and poverty-stricken life they lead there. She becomes sad and introspective, longing for the cold, icy winters of Russia. It is a poignant tale, made more resonant by the fact that Nemirovsky herself had to flee Russia with her family.

Film

It was the basis for the 1931
French films of 1931
A list of films produced in France in 1931:-1931:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database**...

 comedy drama film directed by Wilhelm Thiele, and written by Curt Siodmak
Curt Siodmak
Curt Siodmak was a novelist and screenwriter. He made a name for himself in Hollywood with horror and science fiction films, most notably The Wolf Man and Donovan's Brain...

, Ladislas Fodor and Henry Falk (dialogue). Its German language version has been filmed simultaneously as Der Ball with different cast.

Cast

  • Germaine Dermoz as Madame Kampf
  • Danielle Darrieux
    Danielle Darrieux
    Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux is a French actress and singer, who has appeared in more than 110 films since 1931. She is one of France's great movie stars and her eight-decade career is among the longest in film history....

     as Antoinette
  • André Lefaur as M. Kampf
  • Pierre de Guingand as Marcel de Brécourt
  • Marguerite Pierry as La cousine Henriette
  • Allan Durant
  • Vanda Gréville as Miss Betty
  • Paulette Dubost as La cliente

External links

  • Le Bal at Complete-review.com
  • Le Bal at Amazon.com
    Amazon.com
    Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

  • Blog at WordPress.com
    WordPress.com
    WordPress.com is a weblog hosting provider owned by Automattic which opened to beta testers on August 8, 2005 and opened to the public on November 21, 2005. It is powered by the open source WordPress software...

  • Le Bal (1931 film) at Allmovie
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