La fine combine (1931) review: A messy little lie

If you have twenty minutes to kill and you want to see how people in 1931 thought cheating was funny, then La fine combine is fine. It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a movie, honestly. It feels more like someone pointed a camera at a stage play and forgot to tell the actors they didn't need to shout for the back row.

You should watch this if you’re a nerd for early sound films or if you just like seeing Edwige Feuillère before she became a massive star. If you hate crackly audio and static sets where nothing moves for five minutes, you will probably want to turn this off immediately. It’s very clunky.

The plot is basically a sitcom pilot

Raoul Marco plays the husband. He wants to spend the afternoon with his girlfriend. So what does he do? He tells his wife he’s going to the races. It is the oldest trick in the book. It was probably old in 1931 too.

The whole thing takes place in these cramped rooms that look like they’re made of painted cardboard. You can almost smell the dust on the curtains. He’s all nervous and twitchy. Raoul Marco has this very specific way of moving his hands when he’s lying that is actually kind of funny.

It’s not like The Gold Rush where the comedy is physical and universal. Here, it’s all about the talking. Lots and lots of fast French talking. Sometimes they talk over each other and the 1931 microphones just give up. It sounds like a bag of chips being crushed.

Suzanne Dehelly saves the day

The best part is definitely Suzanne Dehelly. She has this energy that the rest of the movie lacks. When she’s on screen, the movie actually feels alive. Without her, it would just be a bunch of people standing around in suits looking uncomfortable.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of La fine combine (1931) through its definitive frames.

There is a moment where the husband is trying to get out the door and he keeps getting hung up on small talk. You can feel his sweat. I liked that part. It felt real. We’ve all been in that spot where you’re trying to leave but someone won't stop talking about nothing.

The girlfriend character is... well, she’s there. It’s a very thin role. She doesn't have much to do besides look pretty and be the reason for the plot. It’s weird seeing such a simple story stretched out even for twenty minutes.

Some weird technical stuff

• The lighting is really inconsistent. One second it's bright, the next it looks like they forgot to pay the electric bill.
• The sound of the door closing is louder than the actual dialogue sometimes.
• The furniture looks incredibly uncomfortable. Like, nobody would actually sit in those chairs.

I kept thinking about Trötte Teodor while watching this. That’s another early 30s comedy, but it feels a bit more like a real movie. La fine combine feels more like a rehearsal.

There is one shot of a hat on a table that stays on screen for way too long. I don't know why. Maybe the cameraman went to get a coffee? It’s these little mistakes that make these old movies charming, I guess.

It’s a silly little trifle. It doesn't try to be deep. It just wants to show a guy getting into trouble because he can't keep his stories straight. The ending is abrupt. Like, really abrupt. It just stops.

Is it a good movie? Not really. But it’s an interesting one. It’s a window into what made people chuckle back then. Turns out, it's the same stuff that makes us chuckle now—people being idiots and getting caught.

If you're bored, give it a go. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It’s just a guy, a lie, and some very loud 1930s acting. 🎥