Liliom (1934)

Fired from his job as a carnival barker by his jealous female boss (Florelle), the barker (Charles Boyer) moves in with a young girl (Madeleine Ozeray). They're penniless and he's abusive to her. Based on the play by Ferenc Molnar (THE SWAN) and directed by Fritz Lang (METROPOLIS). The play was previously filmed by Frank Borzage in 1930 and Rodgers & Hammerstein used Molnar's play as the basis for their 1945 musical, CAROUSEL. Frankly, I've never warmed to LILIOM in any of its incarnations though if I had to choose a favorite, it would be CAROUSEL because of the wonderful Rodgers & Hammerstein songs. The movie's romanticization of domestic violence doesn't sit well to 21st century sensibilities. The movie's ace is Charles Boyer, who's excellent. With Pierre Alcover and Antonin Artaud.