Smuggler's Ball (1952)
Smuggler's Ball is the English-language title for this French-Belgian seriocomedy. The action takes place along the borders separating Belgium, Holland and France. It is here that the worldly Pierre (J. P. Kieran) carries on a profitable smuggling operation, all the while romancing Siska (Christian Lenier), the daughter of a local customs official. Various subplots and secondary characters weave in and out as the plotline guides the viewer through the WW II years. Towards the end, the story shifts gears when the Benelux Frontier Agreement eliminates all government regulations. The film's screenplay is by Charles Spaak, himself the descendant of a Belgian political family, and thus well-versed in bureaucracy and red tape.
Director: Henri Storck
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Françoise Rosay as Gabrielle Demeuse |
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Jean-Pierre Kérien as Pierre |
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Christiane Lénier as Siska van Moll |
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Daniel Ivernel as Jef - le délégué syndical |
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Yves Deniaud as Le brigadier Achille Van Moll |
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Eva Ingeborg Scholz as Elsa Menzler |
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Karl John as Hans |
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Käthe Haack as Moeder van Elsa |
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Kurt Großkurth as Dikke Charles |
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André Valmy as Le douanier Louis |
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Arthur Devère as Gus |
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Raymond Pellegrin as Michel Demeuse |
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Maryse Paillet as Kobi |
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Charles Mahieu as Luitenant van de rijkswacht |
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Robert Lussac as Smokkelaar |
| Directing | Henri Storck | Director |
| Writing | Charles Spaak | Writer |
