Be Beautiful But Shut Up

1958 French comedy film by Marc Allégret

1958 (1958)

CountryFranceLanguageFrenchBox office$14.3 million^[1]

Be Beautiful But Shut Up (French: Sois belle et tais-toi) is a French black-and-white crime comedy film made in 1958, directed by Marc Allégret.

The film features Alain Delon and Jean Paul Belmondo in early roles as members of a gang.^[2]

It was also known as Blonde for Danger.^[3]

Plot

The protagonist, played by Mylène Demongeot, is a teenage female orphan who after escaping from her detention center joins a gang of Parisian burglars, but then by coincidence meets a young police inspector (played by Henri Vidal) with whom she falls in love, marries and starts a decent life.

The story shows how her former acquaintances from the criminal milieu become suspects in a jewel robbery.

Cast

Mylène Demongeot as Virginie Dumayet
Henri Vidal as Insp. Jean Morel
Darry Cowl as Insp. Jérôme
Béatrice Altariba as Olga Babitcheff
Roger Hanin as Charlemagne
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Pierrot
Alain Delon as Loulou
Robert Dalban as Insp. Gotterat
François Darbon as Gino
Gabrielle Fontan as Grand-mère de Jean
René Lefèvre as Raphaël

Production

Filming took place from December 1957 to February 1958.

Reception

The film recorded admissions of 1,904,380 in France.^[4] This made it the 44th most popular film of the year.^[5]

References

^ Information on film at Box Office Story
^ Top Sex Symbols of French Films Feud at Drop of Hat Kramer, Carol. Chicago Tribune 16 Aug 1970: f1.
^ BLONDE FOR DANGER "(Sois belle et tais-toi)" Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 26, Iss. 300, (Jan 1, 1959): 9.
^ "Be Beautiful But Shut Up". Box Office Story.
^ "1958 French Box Office". Box Office Story.