The Miracle of Wolves (movie, 1924)

Synopsis

Historical film developing the chronicle of the reign of King Louis XI after a novel by Henry Dupuy-Mazuel . Charles Dullin embodies a twisted and mischievous Louis XI, intelligent and skilful politician who patiently brings together the pieces of the kingdom of France.

Technical sheet

• Director: Raymond Bernard
• Assistant Director: Jean Hémard
• Scenario: Raymond Bernard, Jean-José Frappa and André Paul Antoine after the eponymous novel by Henri Dupuy-Mazuel
• Sets: Robert Mallet-Stevens and Jean Perrier
• Costumes: designed by Job (Jacques Onfroy de Bréville)
• Images: Robert Batton , Marc Bujard , Franck Daniau Johnston , Maurice Forster , René Gaveau and Julien Ringel
• Music: Henri Rabaud
• Production: Historical Film Society
• Country of origin: France
• Format: black and white then tinted in 2012 – 1.33 – 4/3 – silent movie with musical accompaniment in Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0
• Genre: Historical Adventures
• Duration: 130 minutes
• Release: At the cinema Le Marivaux in Paris November 28, 1924

Distribution

• Lucien Battle
• Armand Bernard : Bische
• Raymond Bernard : The chess player
• Pierre de Canolle
• Colette Darfeuil : a servant of Jeanne
• Suzanne Delprato
• Pierre Denols : Coitier
• Line Doré
• Charles Dullin : King Louis XI
• Émile Engeldorff
• Jean-Emile Vanni-Marcoux : Charles the Bold
• Arlette Genny : a servant of Jeanne
• Robert Guilbert : The Duke of Bourbon
• Francis Halma : Olivier the Suede
• Philippe Hériat : Tristan the Hermit
• Hot Stone : God in Adam’s Game
• Pierrette Houyez
• Edith Jhanne
• Romuald Joubé : The knight Robert Cottereau
• Fernand Mailly : Philippe Le Bon
• Ernest Maupain : Fouquet
• Gaston Modot : Count Lau, sire of Châteauneuf
• Albert Préjean : A soldier
• Remond
• Maud Richard
• Émilien Richaud : Commines
• Yvonne Sergyl : Jeanne Fouquet, future Jeanne Hachette
• Hietta Stella
• Germaine Valley

Around the film

This blockbuster is one of the film events of the 1920s. The gala premiere takes place at the Opera, November 13, 1924, in the presence of the President of the Republic Gaston Doumergue and Raymond Bernard obtains a pass to attend ¹ The shoot of the Beauvais headquarters filmed under the ramparts of CarcassonneRequired from 1,000 to 4,000 extras to which units of troops stationed in the region were integrated. This extensive deployment required for the synchronization of the movements the use of optical signals and the installation of a telephone network. We also used from 3 to 15 cameras and hundreds of horses. For the scene of the fight with the wolves, the director did not want to integrate dogs. It was necessary to borrow eight Russian wolves from Cirque Amar trained by Jim Rhio. The many sets made at the Studios de Joinville , including the Court of Louis XI, were designed and made under the direction of Robert Mallet-Stevens ¹ . The exteriors were shot at the Col de Porte , at the Col du Galibier, Pierrefonds Castle and Carcassonne from November 1923 to May 1924.

Originally released in dumb, the film is sounded in 1930 ¹ and announced with a beautiful poster by Georges Scott . The artist PM Chabrier , preferred to advertise by representing a fierce pack of wolves.

Information has been taken from the booklet of the prestige collection, which includes three films by Raymond Bernard: The Miracle of Wolves , The Chess Player and Tarakanova .

Notes and references