Not for the first time and almost certainly not the last I find myself in mild disagreement with dbmonteuil, one of only two people to review this movie on IMDb. As it happens dbmonteuil is a good friend of mine and overall we agree more than we disagree about French cinema which we both love with equal passion. I have speculated previously that because he lives in France and has easy access via French TV, DVD outlets and le cinema du quartier to the cream of French movies he can afford, more than I, stuck as I am in England, for with truffles, fois gras and champagne available for the asking he can be disdainful about steak hache, lemon meringue and vin du pays. I can count on the fingers of one thumb the number of vintage (in this case 1930) we get to see in the UK, let alone vintage films from a master like Tourneur (incidentally, his son Jacques, an equally distinguished director with such credits as Out Of The Past aka Build My Gallows High on his CV, was Assistant director here) and so I cannot be so cavalier when one comes my way. It was interesting that dbmonteuil mentioned Henri-Georges Clouzot for, having watched the film but not yet read dbmonteuil's take on it, I was immediately struck by its link to Clouzot's Quai des Orfevres which is set against a background of French Music Hall, as this utilises the Folies Bergere as a backdrop. Gaby Morlay was one of the finest actresses in French cinema albeit her appeal was largely domestic as opposed to contemporaries Arletty and Danielle Darrieux who achieved International fame, whilst Charles Vanel, saddled with the role of Red Herring, enjoyed one of the longest careers in French, if not cinema the world over. I'm certainly not claiming that this is anything more than an entertaining melodrama in which Tourneur exhibits his stylish touches such as the enormous shadow of the public prosecutor in the trial scenes. I'm delighted I got the chance to watch a slice of French cinematic history.

I found this movie rather disappointing because it seems to wander from documentary on show business to thriller. The film must have been shotin a studio as the stage seems small and crowded with dancers in ridiculous costumes. One suspects that Tourneur wanted to satirize that type of"revue" rather than give an objective view of it. Everybody seems to be bored during the rehearsal. As for the criminal part the search for the murderer is not credible and there is no clever detective to clear Gaby. Yet it is an example of the cinema of the thirties. One may prefer "Faubourg Montmartre" with the same Gaby Morlay (and Charles Vanel,again a bad guy).Here she already fiddles with her handkerchief which became a sort of fetish when she played on the stage. Cinema amateurs should also see "Le Bonheur" with Charles Boyer, one of her best roles.

...French talkies had happened.But ,with a few exceptions (Abel Gance filming a disaster movie: "la Fin du Monde") ,most of the directors contented themselves with filmed stage productions.Even if Maurice Tourneur's work was not performed on stage before ,its very structure speaks volumes: The first part takes place in les "Folies Bergères" on stage ;it begins with a revue complete with the military march "Auprès de Ma Blonde" ,scenes from the French eighteenth century or from a chocolate-box Russia ;the plot only begins after fifteen interminable minutes.The second part takes place almost entirely in a courtroom,and the actors can overact in the good old theatrical way."Accusée levez-vous "is a moderately entertaining work by Maurice Tourneur whose best film ,"La Main du Diable", in the fantasy and horror film field,should appeal to people who like such works as "Rosemary's baby" or "the haunting" .The plot: Gaby and her squeeze André are music hall artists in les Folies Bergères ;alas ,the star of the show covets him;she's slain and Gaby becomes the main suspect;she's soon arrested and tried for murder.The most interesting,in this very banal detective story,is the way they treat Gaby;sometimes it predates Henri Georges Clouzot's work with Brigitte Bardot "La Vérité" (The Truth).Gaby lives with André ,but they are not married,they have been living in sin for six years.And however,the judge points out,Gaby was carefully taught,her parents wanted her to marry a well-respected man -but she did not want to and she left home- and she became an entertainer (although she says she is an artist),at the time a not so respectable occupation.Gaby Morlay is well cast as the lead.Charles -Diaboliques- Vanel appears as the victim's shady husband.