Farewell Mister Grock

Farewell Mister Grock
Directed by Pierre Billon
Written by Christian-Falaize
Nino Constantini
Produced by Christian-Falaize
Nino Constantini
André Paulvé
Starring Grock
Suzy Prim
Charles Lemontier
Cinematography Nikolai Toporkoff
Edited by Maurice Serein
Music by Henri Sauguet
Production
companies
Le Trident Films
Merkur-Film
Distributed by DisCina
Herzog-Filmverleih
Release date
19 January 1950
Running time
107 minutes
Countries France
West Germany
Languages French
German

Farewell Mister Grock (French: Au revoir M. Grock, German: Manege frei) is a 1950 French-West German comedy drama film directed by Pierre Billon and starring Grock, Suzy Prim and Charles Lemontier. It is in the tradition of circus films. It was shot at the Francoeur Studios in Paris and on location at the Cirque Medrano and the Théâtre Pigalle in the city as well as around Lake Constance on the Swiss-German border. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Max Mellin and Serge Piménoff. It is also known by the alternative title Clear the Ring.

Synopsis

The film serves a biopic of the career of the circus clown Adrien Wettach, known by his stage name of Grock, who plays himself against the backdrop of the wars and upheavals of the twentieth century. His interactions with the admiring Russian Countess Barinoff are also portrayed.

Cast

  • Grock as Adrien Wettach, alias Grock
  • Suzy Prim as Countess Barinoff
  • Charles Lemontier as Mr Durand
  • Héléna Manson as Aunt Pauline
  • Maurice Regamey as Bourquaint
  • Nadine Rousseau as Miss Wettach
  • Georges Chamarat as Le pere Wattach
  • Marcel Pérès as Fracassa
  • Monique Marquenet as Adélaïde
  • Made Siamé as a waitress
  • Louis de Funès as a spectator
  • Alexandre Mihalesco as Le clown Auguste
  • Ted Rémy as Adrien
  • Henry Cassidy as Self
  • Peter Graham as Lord Peter
  • Axel Scholtz as Kurt Heller
  • Jean-Jacques Domenge as Jeannot
  • Paul Oettly as Wittzec
  • Philipp Gruß as Roberto Wittez / Wetzel
  • Camille Gari as Roberta
  • Alfonso Bovino as Italian child