Ruy Blas (film, 1947)

The action takes place in Spain , in the XVII century , during the reign of King Charles II , at the royal court in Madrid and its environs. Don Sallusty de Bazan, in revenge for the fact that the Queen of Spain despises him and sent him into exile, intends to take revenge. One of his servants, Ruy Blaz, is a young man who recently graduated from the university, like two drops of water similar to his cousin - the noble but frivolous don Cesar de Bazan, hiding from the robbers for non-payment of debts. Don Sallustius introduces the servant of Ruy Blaz under the guise of his cousin into high society and orders him to achieve the Queen's love. Ruy Blaz, long and hopelessly in love with the queen, agrees ... For a detailed description of the plot, see the article "Ruy Blaz" .

• Jean Marais - Ruy Blaz and Don Cesar de Bazan, Count de Garof ( Soviet dubbing - Mark Bernes )
• Daniel Darrieux - Dona Maria of Neuburg, Queen of Spain
• Marcel Erran - Don Sallusty de Bazan, Marquis de Finlas, Minister of Police, Don Cesar's cousin (Soviet dubbing - Vladimir Kenigson )
• Gabriel Dorzia - Duchess of Albuquer, Ober-maid of Honor
• Jone Salinas - Casilda, Queen's Court Lady
• Giovanni Grasso - Don Gaspard Guritan, Queen's Majord
• Gilles Kean - Duke of Alba
• Paul Amio - Marquis de Santa Cruz, close to Don Sallust
• Charles Lemontier - Count de Camporeal, Minister
• Pierre Magnier - Marquis de Priego, Minister
• Jacques Berlioz - Minister

• Producers: Georges Legrand, Nino Martegany, Andre Polwe
• Director: Pierre Billon
• Screenplay: Jean Cocteau
• Composer: Georges Orik
• Operator: Michel Kelber
• Artists: Georges Vakevich , Marcel Escoffier (for costumes), Jean Zay

• At the Soviet box office, the film was screened under the title Dangerous Similarity.
• Different sources indicate different years of release of the film: 1947 or 1948 .

Jean Marais about filming in the movie "Ruy Blaz" (1947):

“I was offered to act in an adventure film based on the script by Jean Cocteau“ Ruy Blaz ”. At the end of the performances <after the performances based on Jean Cocteau’s play “The Two-headed Eagle”> I went on set to Italy. I act in all Spanish subjects exclusively in Italy. Venice ... <...> You can get to the studio only in a gondola or motorboat. We lived in a Venetian rhythm.

In the film, I played two roles at once: Ruy Blaz and Don Cesar de Bazan, which is impossible in the theater. Both characters look like twins.

I had to argue with the director Pierre Billon for a long time: he did not want me to risk it. But I was stubborn. Once, I spent more than an hour at the top of the ladder, where I was supposed to fly from, grabbing at the end of the rope, and breaking through my body with a stained glass window. In fact, instead of a rope there should have been a chandelier, but if I swung on it, the scope would not be enough. Billon invited an understudy. Then I climbed the stairs before him and refused to go down. The director refused to shoot. We were wasting expensive time. He finally gave up.

While working in this film, I got the habit of not repeating dangerous or physically difficult scenes. In the role of Don Cesar, I had to ride a horse without touching the stirrups (which riders do very easily). At rehearsals, I fail. The command “Motor! Let's go! “, And I succeed. I realized that during the filming I was able to do what I could not do on purpose. From now on, I followed this method, which surprised many professionals.

In "Ruy Blaze" I almost drowned. It was necessary to cross the stream to pick up the Queen's favorite flowers on the other side. We found such a stream in France, near the town of Tignes, when there was still no dam. I had to let the seething water carry me away and throw me over three, one after the other, thresholds. The water was white with foam, icy and rushed with great speed. No one imagined that I would decide on this. Besides, I hate cold water.

My decision to film without rehearsal forced the director to invite a fireman who was supposed to rehearse instead of me. But, when he saw a stormy stream, he categorically refused. Thus, I starred in this scene without rehearsal. I decided that I would fall forward through the rapids so as not to smash my head on stones. But due to the fact that under the scenario I resisted the flow of water, I was carried through the first threshold with my head forward. I found myself in a water tornado, sandwiched in the crevice between the rocks with my legs up and down. No one knew where I was. The camera has lost me. I tried to roll over. At first I was surprised that no one came to my aid. Anger choked me, and not without reason! Mentally, I honored the whole group what the light was on. This anger saved me, tenfold strength. Sending to hell with the technical staff of the group, I clung to the rocks to get out of there. Finally, they noticed me, completely exhausted. I slid back into my crevice, and after that tons of water fell upon my head. “What I did once, I can do the second,” I thought. I lean out slightly out of the water again. I hear screams: “Do not pull! Do not pull! He has a rope around his neck. " Then I notice that they threw me a rope with a sliding loop, and it really wrapped around my neck. The water that collapsed, blinded me, did not give me the opportunity to see it and feel it. This is a miracle. I grab onto the rope. They pull me out of the water. And only then I realize that it is icy, and feel how much I froze.

They undress me, give me a drink of alcohol. I ask for a cigarette. I light it and hear the roar of the operator:

“Tell Jeanne to jump into the water right now, because the sun is leaving.”

We were in the gorge, where the sun dropped in for a short while. I had to jump into the water three times, while trying to fly a series of waterfalls with my feet forward.

In the evening, at the local bistro, I heard:

- Oh, these filmmakers, you want to make us believe that one of you will bathe in Ysera.

They did not believe when I said that I did it today.

Later, Tignes was flooded <in 1952 during the construction of the dam.> "

Excerpt from Jean-Marais autobiography, The Life of an Actor (original title: Jean Marais. Histoires de ma vie), Vagrius Publishing House, from the My 20th Century series, 2001, pp. 224–226. E. Turysheva, translation, 2001

• In France, was repeatedly released on DVD. One of the last issues took place on November 26, 2008, the film was restored.
• In Russia, a DVD movie was released on January 12, 2009 by Svetla.

• Jean Marais . The life of an actor. = Jean Marais. Histoires de ma vie. - M .: Vagrius , 2001 .-- 320 p. - (My 20th century). - ISBN 5-264-00649-0 .

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