Gigolettes of Paris: Pretty hats, cold hearts

Is this for you?

If you like old-school melodrama where people wear tuxedos to breakfast and treat relationships like stock market trades, you’ll dig it. If you need a tight script that actually goes somewhere meaningful, skip it. Honestly, it’s mostly for people who want to stare at vintage fashion and wonder if the actors were having as much fun as they look.

Suzanne is the lead, and she’s got that specific look of someone who’s decided to stop crying and start plotting. It’s a classic turn. She’s essentially a mirror image of the cynicism she was just on the receiving end of. It’s not subtle, but since when is anything in this genre subtle?

The pacing is… well, it’s uneven. Some scenes drag on like they’re waiting for a train that isn’t coming. Then, suddenly, someone says something sharp, and it actually hits home. I found myself focusing on the background extras more than the main plot at one point. There’s this one waiter who looks absolutely bored out of his mind in every single scene. It’s kind of the best part.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Gigolettes of Paris (1933) through its definitive frames.

It definitely feels like a cousin to Insinuation, though with a lot more champagne and fewer consequences. The way they handle the "vengeance" angle is kind of cute, in a 1930s way. It isn't exactly Frauen am Abgrund, where things get genuinely dark, but it’s got a similar streak of people making terrible life choices while looking great.

The acting is fine, though Gilbert Roland brings a level of intensity that almost feels like he’s in a different movie. He’s trying so hard to be the romantic lead that he occasionally looks like he’s holding his breath. It works, though. It’s weirdly charming.

• The jewelry looks expensive. I hope it was.
• The transition shots between the Paris streets are incredibly grainy. I kind of loved that.
• Nobody actually eats the food in these movies, do they?
• There’s a moment in the second act where the camera just lingers on a vase for way too long. Why? Who knows.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a particularly great film. But there’s a flicker of something real in the way Suzanne handles her heartbreak that felt honest. Like, she’s just trying to survive in a room full of sharks, so she decides to become the biggest one. A bit cliché? Sure. But I’d watch it again on a rainy Sunday.

Don't look for deep psychological insights here. You won't find them. Just watch the hats and the sighs. It’s enough. 🥂