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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you're into the kind of melodrama where people suddenly discover they're countesses and everyone’s heart gets broken for the sake of an aria, you might find something to love here. If you prefer your pacing to be anything other than 'stumbling forward by accident,' you should probably skip it. It's not a disaster, but it feels like it was put together by someone who kept losing their notes.
The whole middle section where Enrico decides to just quit being a famous opera singer to hang out with a band of gypsies is genuinely funny. It’s like watching a toddler decide they’re going to live under the kitchen table because they don’t like their lunch. The shift in tone from high-society French salons to, well, a random field, is so sudden it’ll give you whiplash. 💃
The interaction between Enrico and Irma is weirdly stiff. You can almost see the actors thinking about their next cue. There’s a moment where he just stares at her, and it lasts just long enough for you to wonder if he forgot his lines or if he’s just pondering the existential dread of being an opera star. It’s the kind of tiny, awkward silence that makes me think they just kept the camera rolling way too long.
It’s funny, I was thinking about The Broken Coin while watching this. Both movies have that same frantic energy where the plot is clearly just a suggestion. At least the wardrobe in La buenaventura looks like they put some effort into the shawls.
The movie gets noticeably better once it stops trying to be a serious drama about class and starts being a messy soap opera about revenge and bad decisions. When Irma shows up later, now a fancy lady, the movie practically reinvents itself. It’s a bit of a slog, but hey, it’s got heart, even if that heart is buried under three layers of dated costumes and questionable acting choices. 🎭
Don’t go looking for deep logic here. Just enjoy the ride for what it is. A bit dusty, a bit silly, and surprisingly watchable if you’ve had enough coffee.
