I Am Suzanne! (1933) Review: A Quirky Old-School Romance That's Just Peculiar Enough

So, I Am Suzanne!... is it worth diving into today? Honestly, yeah, probably, if you’re into those old-school quirky romances that don’t quite know if they’re comedies or dramas. Anyone who loves early talkies and a bit of theatrical melodrama will get a kick out of it. If you need super slick pacing or modern sensibilities, you might find yourself scratching your head a lot.

Our story kicks off with Tony Malatini, a puppeteer, feeling pretty down. His theater, the Theatre des Marionettes, has like, seven people in the audience. 😬 You really feel for the guy. He decides to check out the competition, which is always a risky move, but hey, he’s desperate.

And then he sees her: Suzanne. She’s a dancer, clearly the star, and Tony is just instantly captivated. Mesmerized might be the better word. It’s one of those immediate movie crushes. He just *has* to make a puppet of her. The idea alone sounds a bit strange, but he’s a puppeteer, so it makes sense in his world.

Enter the Baron, Suzanne’s manager. He’s this incredibly controlling dude, the kind who practically owns his performers. When he overhears Tony’s request, he threatens to set Suzanne "free." Now, you’d think that would be a good thing, right? Freedom? But Suzanne, terrified of being alone, begs him to marry her instead. It's a moment that kind of makes you go, huh? 😮

Tony, bless his heart, tries to intervene. He shows up during a performance, pleading with Suzanne not to marry the Baron. It’s a pretty dramatic scene, and in all the commotion, Suzanne takes a tumble into the orchestra pit. Ouch. She gets seriously hurt, can’t dance anymore. The Baron, being the gem that he is, promptly leaves her. Of course.

This is where Tony steps up. With some doctor help, he puts Suzanne through this intense exercise program. He teaches her puppetry, too. It’s all very sweet, very devoted. You start thinking, "Okay, this guy is really falling for her, how cute."

Then things get a little… sideways. Tony, in a moment of emotional honesty, tells Suzanne his true friends are his puppets. Fair enough, artists are quirky. But then he picks up the puppet he made of her. He looks at this wooden doll and says he’s in love with *this* puppet. 😳

Suzanne is just utterly confused. She doesn't realize he means *her*, the actual human woman. She just sees him confessing his undying love to a block of wood. The audience knows, we know, but she’s just completely lost. It’s one of those moments where you want to yell at the screen, “No, he means you! The real you!”

They put on a successful celebrity puppet show together. It's a nice turn for both of them. During a party to celebrate, Tony decides he’s going to propose. And how does he do it? He picks up the Suzanne puppet again and asks *it* to marry him. Oh, Tony. 🤦‍♀️

Suzanne's reaction shot here is just great. You can almost feel her brain buffering. Jealousy, confusion, a bit of betrayal all swirl around. It’s such a strange, specific misunderstanding. The movie never really lets up on that central quirk.

• Tony’s theater audience is so small you can count them on two hands. It makes the place feel really empty.
• The Baron’s villainy is almost cartoonish, but it works for the era.
• Suzanne’s fall into the orchestra pit feels genuinely painful, not just a stage trick.
• Tony teaching Suzanne to move the puppets, it’s a quick montage, but you get a real sense of her learning.
• The way Tony looks at the puppet of Suzanne. It’s not just admiration; it’s a bit obsessive.
• That final scene where Tony proposes to the puppet… it just hangs there. You're left wondering what Suzanne even does next.

This film is a curious little time capsule. It's not a grand epic, nor is it trying to be. It’s a simple story, kind of off-kilter, about people who struggle to communicate their real feelings. If you appreciate the charm of early cinema and don't mind a romance that plays things a little differently, I Am Suzanne! is a perfectly fine way to spend an evening. Just don’t expect everything to make perfect logical sense. Some films just aren’t built that way. And that's okay sometimes. 😊