La nuit est à nous: Loud Cars and Quiet Stares

You should probably watch La nuit est à nous if you actually like seeing how movies used to work before everything got too polished. If you're looking for something smooth and perfect, you'll probably hate it within five minutes.

It’s for people who don't mind a bit of crackle in their audio and actors who stare at each other like they're trying to win a blinking contest. If you want a fast-paced thriller, go elsewhere.

I caught this one late at night, and honestly, it felt right. It’s a 1930 flick, which means it’s right at the start of the sound era, and you can really feel the director, Henry Roussel, trying to figure out what to do with all that noise.

The plot is pretty basic stuff. Jean Murat plays Peter, a guy who drives cars very fast and looks very intense while doing it.

He falls for Bettine, played by Marie Bell, but she’s already married to an older guy. It’s the kind of drama that felt very heavy back then, but now it just feels sort of sweet and clunky.

The Sound of Speed

The racing scenes are the best part, hands down. They don't feel like they were shot in a studio with a fake screen behind the car.

You can see the actual dust kicking up and the car bouncing on the road. It has a raw energy that reminded me of The Gallopin' Gaucho, even though that’s a totally different kind of vibe.

The engine sounds are incredibly loud. Sometimes they’re so loud you can’t even hear the actors properly, and I kind of loved that.

It feels like the movie is admitting that the machine is more interesting than the conversation. There’s one bit where the car just roars for about thirty seconds straight while the camera stays on a tire.

Marie Bell’s Hats

I have to talk about Marie Bell for a second. She has this way of looking into the distance that makes you think she’s thinking about something very deep, but she’s probably just waiting for her next cue.

And the hats! My god, the hats in this movie are massive.

There is one scene where she is wearing a hat that looks like a giant black pancake. I spent the whole scene wondering how she kept her head balanced.

The acting are a bit stiff in places, which is normal for 1930. People were still used to silent movies, so they move their arms a lot more than they need to.

It’s not quite as psychological as something like Secrets of a Soul, but it tries to be serious. Sometimes too serious.

Odd Little Moments

• There is a guy in the background of the cafe scene who just stares at the camera for a solid three seconds. Nobody edited it out.
• The way they drink champagne looks like they’re drinking lukewarm water.
• The crash scene is filmed with this weird, jarring cut that makes it feel more violent than it actually is.
• The subtitles I found were a bit wonky, but you don't really need them to get the gist.

The lighting in the indoor scenes is a bit of a mess. One side of Jean Murat’s face is always in total darkness, like he’s a villain in a horror movie, even when he’s just being a romantic lead.

It’s definitely more grounded than The Scarlet Daredevil. It doesn't have that theatrical flair; it feels more like grease and oil and sweat.

I found myself getting bored during the long scenes of people sitting in offices. They talk about contracts and racing teams, and it’s just not as fun as the driving.

But when they get back on the track, the movie wakes up. It’s like the film itself is bored of the talking and just wants to go fast again.

Is it any good?

I think so. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a real movie. It doesn't feel like it was made by a committee.

It has that weird, uneven pace that makes old cinema so interesting to watch. You never quite know when a scene is going to end.

One moment it’s a romance, the next it’s a documentary about 1930s car engines. It’s a bit like Hríchy lásky in how it handles the drama—very heavy-handed but sincere.

The ending is very abrupt. Like, boom, it's over.

I sat there for a minute just listening to the hum of my computer. It made me miss the sound of those old car engines.

If you have some time and want to see how France did the early talkies, give it a go. Just don’t expect a smooth ride. 🏎️

Also, look out for the scene with the dog. It’s only on screen for a second but it looks like it’s having a great time.

It’s definitely better than some of the other stuff from that year, like Watch the Birdie, which is just too silly for my taste.

Anyway, I’m going to go look at pictures of 1930s race cars now. The movie did that to me.