The Little Match Girl (1928 film)

The Little Match Girl
Directed by	Jean Renoir
Written by	Hans Christian Andersen Jean Renoir
Starring	Catherine Hessling Eric Barclay
Cinematography	Jean Bachelet
Release date	8 June 1928
Running time	34 minutes
Country	France
Languages	Silent film French intertitles

The Little Match Girl (French: La petite marchande d'allumettes) is a 1928 French drama featurette film directed by Jean Renoir and starring Catherine Hessling.

Plot

A young woman stands on a corner on New Year's Eve, trying to sell matchsticks. She is ignored by most passers by, except a young man who nearly approaches her before being called to a table in a restaurant. She doesn't notice the man until he is inside, eating. She gazes longingly at his food. A group of children pelt her with snowballs.

A policeman passes by and admonishes her for being outside with poor shoes. Rather than go home empty-handed, the girl crouches in a corner for warmth. Soon, she begins to hallucinate, imagining herself stepping into the toy display in the window next to her. She envisions herself and the young man from the diner being pursued through the toyland by a pirate embodying death. Eventually, he catches them both. The young woman dies in her vision and is draped on a hilltop near a cross. White flower petals fall on her face.

The film shifts back to reality and we see that the flower petals are really snow. An old woman finds her dead body in the snow.

The film is based on the 1845 short story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.

Cast

• Catherine Hessling as Karen
• Amy Wells as Pop
• Jean Storm as Lieutenant Axel Ott
• Manuel Raaby as Politieagent

See also

• List of Christmas films

External links

• The Little Match Girl at IMDb
• The Little Match Girl at the Internet Archive