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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 953

The Beauty from Nivernais

192469 minFrance

Synopsis

A barge captain takes in an abandoned boy, who grows up working on the boat and loving the captain's daughter. A rival resents the young man's place in the household. When his biological father is found, the new connection threatens to separate the couple and forces him to reconsider where he belongs.

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Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs: 76:44
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Jean Epstein · Public domain

Cast

Blanche Montel

Marie Lacroix

DirectorsJean Epstein

Inspirations

Epstein adapts Alphonse Daudet's story of a family living and working on a barge. The boat's name supplies the title, while the river setting connects the romantic plot to the rhythms and practical demands of the family's livelihood.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits Garance film heritage catalogue — La Belle Nivernaise French Wikipedia — La Belle Nivernaise

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Blanche Montel — Charles Gerschel; [1] · Public domain

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