Truus, Bob & Jan too! posted a photo:

French postcard by A.N., Paris, no. 1117. Photo: Raymond Voinquel.

French actor Pierre Richard-Willm (1895-1983) was a popular actor, often a jeune premier, in 40 films during the 1930s and the first half of the 1940s.

Pierre Richard-Willm was born Alexander Pierre Richard in Bayonne, South-West France, in 1895. His mother, Elisabeth-Fanny Willm, died at the age of thirty-one, and from 1905 on, he was raised by his maternal grandmother in Bordeaux. He attended the école des Beaux-Arts in Nantes. Theatre was his passion, and in 1911, he started as an amateur at the Théâtre du Peuple de Bussang. In 1916, he joined the army and fought during World War I at Verdun. After the war, he became a sculptor, and in 1921, he started playing bit roles on the professional stage. From 1925 on, he worked at the Odeon in Paris in plays like 'La dame aux camélias' under the pseudonym Richard Willm, the combined name of his father and mother. His film debut as a jeune premier came in the Paramount production Toute sa vie / Sarah and Son (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1930), followed by another film by Alberto Cavalcanti for Paramount, Les Vacances du diable / The Devil's Holiday (1931). With his elegance and good looks, he charmed spectators of all ages. In the next years, he made dozens of films, including French versions of Ufa productions, including Autour d'une enquête / Preliminary Investigation (Pierre Chomette, Robert Siodmak, 1931) starring Annabella, and La fille du régiment / The Daughter of the Regiment (Pierre Billon, Carl Lamac, 1933) starring Anny Ondra.

Pierre Richard-Willm’s breakthrough was the foreign legion melodrama Le grand jeu / The Great Game (Jacques Feyder, 1934), in which he starred opposite Charles Vanel and Marie Bell. In the following years, he often played the partner of diva Edwige Feuillère in such films as Stradivarius (Albert Valentin, Géza von Bolváry, 1935), Barcarolle (Gerhard Lamprecht, Roger Le Bon, 1935), La Dame de Malacca / Woman of Malacca (Marc Allégret, 1937) and La Duchesse de Langeais / Wicked Dutchess (Jacques de Baroncelli, 1942). Famous director Max Ophüls directed him in Yoshiwara (1937) and Werther (1938). A big hit was Un Carnet de bal / Dance Program (Julien Duvivier, 193) in which Marie Bell stars as a woman who decides to find out about the men (including Pierre Richard-Willm) who once danced with her during a ball that was a turning point in her life. His most famous role was Edmond Dantès in two episodes of Le Comte de Monte-Cristo / The Count of Monte-Christo (Robert Vernay, 1943) based on the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas père. He starred as composer Franz Liszt in Rêves d'Amour / Dreams of Love (Christian Stengel, 1942-1947), for which film he also designed the sets. In 1946, he decided to retire from the cinema and to dedicate himself completely to his beloved Theatre Vosgien. In 1975, he wrote his memoirs, 'Loin des Étoiles' (Far from the stars), in which he wrote that the cinema had only been a nice intermission for him. Pierre Richard-Willm died in 1983 in Paris.

Sources: Franck Richard, Wikipedia and IMDb.

And please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

techpro12 posted a photo:

Photo taken from Sothebys International Realty

With his longtime creative collaborator, director Guy Ritchie, going through a difficult period at the box office, Jason Statham will need to rely on every last ounce of his star power for their next film together, Viva La Madness. Ritchie and Statham remain major draws on streaming, both together and individually. But the filmmaker hasn't made a hit since Wrath of Man, which was released in 2021 and marked his long-awaited reunion with Statham. The two started out together in the late 1990s with the generation-defining gangster movie Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. They worked together again on Snatch and Revolver, and charted independent paths in Hollywood over the next 15 years. After reuniting with Ritchie on Wrath of Man, Statham delivered two back-to-back hits directed by David Ayer.

Fotoman364 posted a photo:

Fujifilm 400 color film

Fotoman364 posted a photo:

Fujifilm 400 color film

It's easy to forget for many people that Arnold Schwarzeneggerdidn't just pop up overnight as The Terminator. In fact, the reason he became well known was because first, he was the sword-wielding barbarian who was a key figure in big screen fantasy filmmaking. Conan the Barbarian remains one of the most important movies in the career of the Austrian Oak and more than 40 years later, a comeback is finally on the cards.

SINGAPORE: A domestic helper has claimed online that her new employer expects her to pay for all her own daily essentials, including meals and toiletries, out of her salary.

In an anonymous post shared on Tuesday (May 12) in the Facebook group “SINGAPORE TRANSFER (No Fees/SD), DIRECT HIRE & NEW HELPER,” the helper said she has been working in Singapore for three years and was recently transferred to a new employer after the elderly grandmother she cared for passed away.

However, according to her, the new setup has been a complete nightmare.

“In here, I must buy everything myself. Toiletries and food, also, I buy using my own money,” she wrote.

She also shared that when she tried to bring up the issue and ask her employer for food, the conversation quickly turned into “an argument.”

To make matters worse, she said her agent has been unhelpful and “doesn’t care” about what she’s going through, despite her raising concerns.

Feeling frustrated and unsure what to do next, she asked others in the group whether she should try to “transfer again” or “report” the situation to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

“Why is your employer so terrible?”

Many netizens who responded to the post were outraged by the allegations and encouraged the helper to lodge a complaint with the authorities.

One commenter wrote, “Report to MOM!!!!! This is really too much!!!!!”

Another said, “Omg, please report to MOM. Why is your employer so terrible?”

Others, however, advised the helper to make sure she has evidence to support her claims before taking further action.

One commenter, who identified themselves as an employer, wrote: 

“Report to MOM, but make sure it’s the truth, because if the employer has CCTV proof showing a well-stocked fridge and you’re supposed to cook for yourself, you can show pics of toiletries she bought for you, your complaint will land you in trouble. Not saying you’re lying, just guiding you on what to do and advising on what could happen.”

According to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower guidelines, employers are expected to provide migrant domestic workers with three meals a day, along with basic necessities like a mattress, pillow, and blanket, plus proper bathroom access.

They should also provide essential toiletries such as soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Read also: Singaporeans reveal the biggest culture shocks they encountered overseas: ‘Discovering shops close early and lunch can somehow take two hours’

This article (‘I buy my own food and toiletries’: Maid says employer refuses to provide basic necessities) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.