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Pasteur was the first of filmmaker Sacha Guitry's "historicals," each of which offered highly personal glimpses of highly public figures. Writer-director Guitry heads the cast as famed bacteriologist Louis Pasteur, who must endure the ridicule and condemnation of his colleagues before his ultimate triumph over the scourge of hydrophobia. Most of the story is told in lengthy monologues, which must have been fascinating to French filmgoers but tend to drag when translated into English. Curiously-especially for a Guitry film -- there is no leading lady, nor are there any other women in the picture. By an amazing coincidence, Pasteur was released in the U.S. just before the premiere of Warner Bros.' The Story of Louis Pasteur.