Thunder Over Paris

Thunder Over Paris
Thunder Over Paris
Directed by	Dominique Bernard-Deschamps
Written by	Dominique Bernard-Deschamps ; André Cayatte
Starring	Arletty ; Marcel Dalio ; Annie Ducaux ; Erich von Stroheim
Cinematography	Philippe Agostini ; Michel Kelber
Edited by	Pierre de Hérain
Music by	Marcel Delannoy
Production; company	Belgatos
Distributed by	DisCina (France); Columbia Pictures (USA)
Release dates	1 April 1940 (France); 27 June 1940 (USA);
Running time	97 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Thunder Over Paris (French: Tempête) is a 1940 French drama film directed by Dominique Bernard-Deschamps and starring Arletty, Marcel Dalio and Annie Ducaux.^[1] ^[2] It was shot at the Joinville Studios of Pathé in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert Hubert. It was filmed before the outbreak of war and released during the Phoney War period before the Fall of France.

Synopsis

Korlick is a notorious confidence trickster who travels the world pulling off various schemes. After his latest swindle in New York City he returns to Paris after many years away and dreams up a new scam - selling gullible investors the idea of creating a large inland sea in the Sahara Desert by canal and the flourishing civilisation it could support. With the police again on his tail, he is about to flee as he has always done, but trapped he is forced to take shelter in the attic of Barel and old associate of his and blackmailer. Barel, assisted by his mistress the singer Ida, manages to gain money from Korlick in exchange for his assistance. However he is amazed to discover that Korlick is secretly meeting with Jeanne, the attractive young wife of Pierre Desmarets who is heading the Korlick case. Barel assumes they are lovers and seeks to use the information to his own advantage. In fact, she is Korlick's daughter and he will kill to protect her honour even as the law closes in on him.