Sacrifice of Honor

Overview

Before the Battle is the English-language title of this espionage melodrama. The first half of the film takes place aboard a French cruising ship, steaming through dangerous waters during WWI. Among the passengers is heroine Jeanne (Annabella), who was once in love with first-officer D'Artelles (Robert Vidalin) but he now seems strangely preoccupied. It turns out that the ship is on a secret mission, which ultimately dooms the vessel to a Lusitania-like death. After the sinking, Captain De Corlaix (Victor Francen) faces a court-martial, and it is at this point that the film clarifies several baffling plot points. Despite its complexity, the story is fairly believable, with the exception of the grafted-on romantic subplot.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

January 4, 1935

Original language

French

Countries

France

Cast

Raymond Narlay,Maurice Baquet,Victor Francen,Rosine Deréan,Gabriel Signoret,Pierre Renoir,Jean Dunot,Roland Toutain,Robert Vidalin,Léon Arveland 2 more

Director

Marcel L'Herbier

Writer

Charles Spaak,Claude Farrère,Lucien Nepoty,Marcel L'Herbier

Cinematography

Marc Fossard,Jules Kruger

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt0134075