Caroline Chérie

Caroline Chérie is a 1951 French historical comedy shot in black and white and directed by Richard Pottier. Jean Anouilh adapted the screenplay from a historical novel written by Jacques Laurent under the pen name Cécil Saint-Laurent. Martine Carol plays the title character, with Jacques Dacqmine, Marie Déa and Jacques Dufilho among the supporting cast. Filming was carried out at the Billancourt Studios in Paris, with sets created by art director Jacques Krauss. The picture proved a major popular success, elevating Carol to the front rank of French film stars in the early 1950s and, thanks to some daring nude scenes, establishing her as a national sex symbol. Two sequels followed: A Caprice of Darling Caroline (1953), in which Carol returned to the role, and Caroline and the Rebels (1955), headlined by Brigitte Bardot as a different heroine. The story was brought back to the screen in 1968 under the title Darling Caroline.