DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Buster se marie remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you are looking for the classic Buster jumping off trains or falling through houses, you are going to be pretty disappointed with this one. Buster se marie is for the people who want to see a legend try to survive the early days of sound when movies were mostly just people talking in rooms.
It is definitely worth watching if you are a Keaton completist or if you find the history of early sound films interesting. You will probably hate it if you want high-energy stunts or if you can't stand the sight of a silent film genius looking a bit confused by a script.
This is actually the French-language version of his movie Parlor, Bedroom and Bath. Back then, they didn't really do dubbing well, so they just made the actors do the whole movie again in a different language.
Buster didn't speak French. You can really tell.
He is basically memorizing sounds and saying them back. It makes his famous 'Stone Face' look even more frozen because he is clearly concentrating so hard on not messing up the vowels.
The plot is a bit of a headache. Buster plays Reginald, a guy who is so shy he can't even talk to girls, but through a bunch of misunderstandings, everyone thinks he is this legendary 'great lover' who ruins marriages.
Most of the movie takes place in one big house. It feels like a filmed play, which is usually a bad sign for a guy who thrived in wide-open spaces.
There are so many doors. People keep walking in, seeing Buster in a bathrobe or hiding under a bed, and then screaming in French. 😆
The other actors, like André Berley and Françoise Rosay, are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. They are loud. Very loud.
Early talkies always have this problem where everyone feels like they have to shout to make sure the giant microphones hidden in the flower pots can hear them. It makes the comedy feel a bit desperate.
I noticed that Buster looks a lot older here than he did just a few years before. The MGM system wasn't great for him, and you can see the tiredness in his eyes during the close-ups.
There is this one scene where he is trying to deal with a folding bed that keeps attacking him. It is the only moment that felt like 'old' Buster. The rest of the time, he is just standing there while women chase him around a couch.
It’s a bit like watching The Love Trap in the way it tries to mix old-school slapstick with new-school talking, but it doesn't quite click. Or maybe more like La Glu in terms of that specific early 30s French energy that feels so frantic.
Because he is speaking French phonetically, his timing is all off. Comedy is all about the beat, and when you are thinking about how to pronounce 'femme,' you miss the beat.
Sometimes the other actors are talking so fast that Buster just stares at them. It’s supposed to be his character being shy, but I think it was actually Buster waiting for his cue.
There is a strange charm to it, though. It’s like a time capsule of a mistake.
The sets look expensive but also very fake. Everything is shiny and white, like a department store display from 1931.
I found myself looking at the background more than the actors. There are some cool Art Deco lamps in the background of the bedroom scenes.
If you compare this to something like The Life of Riley, you can see how much the studios were struggling to figure out what people actually wanted to hear on screen. Do they want jokes? Do they want singing? Do they just want to hear things break?
In this movie, they mostly just want to hear people argue about who is sleeping in which room. It gets old after about forty minutes.
One thing that really bothered me was the sound of the footsteps. They are so loud! It sounds like everyone is wearing clogging shoes on a wooden stage.
It isn't a masterpeice. Not even close. It’s barely a good movie. But it’s a fascinating mess.
You see a man who was once the king of his own world now being told where to stand and what sounds to make with his mouth. It’s kind of sad, but he still has that dignity. Even when he’s falling over a suitcase in a French hotel.
Is it better than the English version? Not really. It’s just... different. It feels more chaotic because of the language barrier.
If you are bored on a Sunday and want to see something that feels like it shouldn't exist, give it a go. Just don't expect The General.
It’s just Buster, in a house, trying his best. And sometimes that is enough for a rainy afternoon. 🎞️
I honestly think he looked relieved when the movie finally ended. I kind of was too.
IMDb 7.6
1922
Community
Log in to comment.
