Call Me Mame: A relic or a romp?

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, it depends on how much you like staring at grainy black and white footage. If you're into 1930s social comedies where everyone is posh and slightly confused, you'll have a blast. If you need a fast-paced plot or something that actually makes sense by the end, you're going to be frustrated. It's not exactly The Amateur Adventuress in terms of energy, but it has its moments.

The whole thing feels a bit like a stage play that got lost on its way to a theater. The actors are constantly entering and exiting doors like it’s a high-stakes game of musical chairs. Seriously, I counted at least four doors in one scene and they used every single one of them. It’s exhausting to watch.

Oddly specific observations

• There’s a vase in the corner of the parlor that looks like it’s about to tip over for the entire first act. It never does. I was genuinely disappointed.
• The lighting in the library scene makes John Batten look like he’s floating in mid-air. It’s distracting.
• I think one of the extras in the background of the party scene is just reading a newspaper. Nobody notices.

The dialogue is fast, almost too fast. Sometimes I felt like they were just trying to get the words out before the film ran out. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Les galeries Lévy et Cie, but with more tea and less shopping.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Call Me Mame (1933) through its definitive frames.

Winifred Oughton is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She has this look on her face, like she’s constantly smelling something slightly burnt, which works perfectly for the role. I don’t think she even needs to speak to convey her annoyance. It’s a masterclass in side-eye.

The middle of the film just sort of drifts off into the woods, narratively speaking. Characters start making decisions that make zero sense, like choosing to go for a stroll right when the main conflict is heating up. Maybe they were just hungry? It feels like the script writer just gave up for twenty minutes.

Look, it's not going to win any awards for depth. It’s not trying to be Die heilige Flamme. It’s just a nice, dusty little movie about people who have nothing better to do than get into trouble. 🎞️

Would I watch it again? Probably not. Am I glad I saw it? Sure. It’s like finding a cool rock on the beach—you don’t know why you’re keeping it, but you put it in your pocket anyway.