You are here:

Ces messieurs de la Santé

Name: Ces messieurs de la Santé
Director: Pierre Colombier
Released: 1934
Duration: 110 min

Representation Score

1.9/10

Minimal

1934

Director

Pierre Colombier

Runtime

110 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The film's value lies in its institutional critique rather than demographic variety. It disrupts expectations of justice by portraying the state and financial elite as interconnected entities of questionable morality. While the work lacks modern multi-layered markers regarding race, orientation, or disability, its narrative structure leans toward a skepticism of traditional power structures. This creates a complex, morally relativistic view of the social order. The story uses the real-world Stavisky Affair to suggest that the boundaries between criminal activity and state affairs are porous, challenging the perception of governmental infallibility.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Ces messieurs de la Santé have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on traditional domestic and professional structures. There are no indications of LGBTQ+ identities or narratives critiquing the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Ces messieurs de la Santé portray gender?

Fair

Fernande Génissier plays a significant role in driving the story through her dissatisfaction with her husband's lack of ambition. While Madame Génissier represents a traditional moral archetype, the plot shifts power dynamics within a woman-led business.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Ces messieurs de la Santé?

Minimal

The setting reflects the homogeneous social strata of 1930s Paris. There is no evidence of intentional racial blending or non-Anglo-Saxon majority casting.

How does Ces messieurs de la Santé represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative challenges the sanctity of state institutions by framing the government and banking systems as potentially corrupt. It highlights a tension between individual morality and institutional ethics.

Does Ces messieurs de la Santé include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no documented evidence of characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities being integrated into the narrative arc.

Present on Screen

Provides a significant critique of Western institutional integrity and state corruption.
Offers nuanced gendered roles through characters like Fernande Génissier.
Challenges the traditional perception of legal and governmental infallibility.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth narratives.
Shows minimal racial and ethnic diversity, reflecting a homogeneous social strata.
Contains no documented representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Banker Jules Taffard, a true financier, is a shrewd money-handler. Imprisoned for an alleged swindle, his trial seems to be upsetting those in the government, who may not be so far removed from Taffard's affairs (Affaire Alexandre Stavisky). He escapes from La Santé prison without any difficulty, and the authorities don't seem to be doing anything to find him... Under the false name of Gédéon, he becomes a modest handyman in a corset shop run by Madame Génissier, whose morality is as pious as it is legendary. Her son, Hector Génissier, is a foolish young man with no ambition, much to the regret of his young wife, Fernande Génissier. But it won't be long before Gédéon shows his skills in expanding the modest family business. How far can Gédéon's ascent go before Taffard's voice resounds through Gédon?

How are these scores produced? →