Gonzague (1933): A tiny, dusty relic of French comedy

Is this thing worth a watch?

Honestly, it depends on how much you love the smell of mothballs. If you’re a fan of early 30s French cinema and you don’t mind a movie that moves at the speed of a tired snail, you might get a kick out of Gonzague. If you want a plot that actually goes somewhere or characters who don't spend half the runtime looking confused, skip it. Hard.

The whole thing feels like a play that someone forgot to translate properly. It’s got that stagey, cramped vibe where you’re constantly wondering why no one just walks out the front door.

The vibe is... dusty

The pacing here is, uh, leisurely. There’s a scene about halfway through where Germaine Aussey is just sort of hovering near a doorway, and I swear she stayed there for an eternity. It felt like she forgot her next line and was just waiting for the director to cough or something.

It’s not quite as charming as These Charming People, which at least had some snap to its dialogue. Here, the jokes land with the thud of a wet loaf of bread. But then again, maybe I’m just not in the right mood for 1933 slapstick.

• The lighting makes everyone look like they’re being haunted by their own shadows.
• The guy playing Gonzague has this twitchy energy that’s either brilliant or just really annoying. I haven't decided yet.
• There’s a cat that wanders into the background of a serious conversation and nobody acknowledges it. That was the highlight for me.

It reminds me a bit of the aimless energy in Tired Business Men. You can tell they were trying to be funny, but the camera is just sitting there, staring at the actors like it's bored. I was bored too, honestly.

The sound quality is exactly what you’d expect—lots of crackling, like the movie is being played over a radio in a blizzard. It’s almost soothing if you ignore the dialogue entirely. Don't look for a deep meaning here. There isn't one.

Ultimately, it’s a weird little time capsule. You watch it, you blink, and you realize you haven't actually learned anything about the characters. But hey, they look nice in their hats.