Fra Diavolo (1931) is a strange, singing bandit movie

You should probably give Fra Diavolo a look if you have a soft spot for old movies where the hero is way too clean to be a criminal. It is perfect for a lazy Sunday when you want something that feels like a stage play but with more horses.

If you hate movies where people stop everything to sing for five minutes, you will likely want to turn this off pretty fast. It is definitely a product of its time, but that is kind of why I liked it.

Tino Pattiera plays the lead bandit and he has this voice that feels like it could shake the dust off your speakers. He doesn't look like a guy who sleeps in the woods; he looks like he just walked out of a high-end barber shop in 1931. 💈

The plot is about him trying to help Naples be free from the Bourbon King Ferdinand. Honestly, the politics are a bit confusing because the movie keeps getting distracted by silly jokes.

Armand Bernard and Alex Bernard are the real stars if you ask me. They do this physical comedy that is so old-fashioned it actually becomes funny again. One of them has this way of falling over that looks genuinely painful.

The sets look like they were built in a giant sandbox. Everything is very dusty and bright. It reminded me a bit of the look in A Celebrated Case, where everything feels a bit stiff but charming.

There is a scene in a tavern that goes on for a long time. People are drinking from these giant mugs that clearly have nothing in them. You can see the actors being careful not to tilt them too far. 🍺

I noticed that the extras in the background often don't know what to do with their hands. They just sort of stand there leaning on spears or walls. It makes the whole thing feel very human and unpolished.

The lighting is very flat, which was common back then. It makes the costumes pop, especially the bandit outfits with all the little buttons and tassels. I wonder how long it took them to get dressed every morning.

Some of the transitions between scenes are a bit jarring. One moment they are talking about revolution, and the next, someone is singing a love song to a window. It is a bit like Going Wild in how it just jumps into the music without much warning.

The king in this movie is hilarious without meaning to be. He has a mustache that is so perfectly curled it looks like it was made of plastic. He spends most of his time looking mildly inconvenienced by the fact that people are trying to overthrow him.

I wish there was more sword fighting. The few fights we get are very "one-two, one-two" and then someone falls down. It is not exactly John Wick, but it has a certain rhythm to it.

Compared to something like The Big House from the same year, this feels much lighter. It doesn't want to make you sad; it just wants to show you a good time with some catchy tunes.

There is a woman in the movie, Madeleine Bréville, who has these huge expressive eyes. Every time the camera is on her, she looks like she is about to tell a secret but never quite gets there. Her hats are also incredibly large.

The sound quality is a bit scratchy in the version I saw. Sometimes the singing gets so loud it distorts a little bit. It adds to the feeling that you are watching a relic found in someone's basement.

I forgot what was happening in the plot around the middle mark. There is a lot of walking through hallways and secret doors. I think I counted three different secret doors in one twenty-minute span.

The ending is exactly what you think it will be. It doesn't try to surprise you or be deep. It just wraps everything up with a bow and probably another song, though I might have blinked and missed it. 🎀

Is it a masterpiece? No, probably not. But it is a very earnest movie that doesn't feel like it was made by a committee.

You can tell the actors were having a bit of fun, especially during the parts where they get to shout. I think we need more movies where bandits are also opera singers.

Things I noticed:

• The horses look very bored during the dramatic speeches.
• One soldier in the background keeps adjusting his helmet because it's too big.
• The wine bottles look like they are made of very thick glass.
• There is a lot of aggressive pointing when people are angry.
• The shadows on the wall are sometimes bigger than the actors.

If you liked Mickey's Merry Men, you might find this interesting just for the historical vibe. It is a weird little slice of 1930s cinema that doesn't get talked about enough. Anyway, I’m glad I watched it even if I’ll have the main song stuck in my head for a week. 🎶