La perle: A silly little pearl of a movie

Is this worth your time?

If you like old, breezy French comedies where people talk fast and misunderstandings drive the whole train, you will probably dig La perle. It is not exactly high art, but it has a rhythm that feels like a stiff drink after a long day.

If you need logic, pacing that makes sense, or stakes that actually feel scary, you should probably skip this. It is a movie that barely cares about its own plot, and frankly, neither did I by the second act. 🤷‍♂️

Wait, he swallowed what?

The whole thing hinges on a guy swallowing a pearl worth three million. In 1932, that was basically enough to buy France, I guess. The jeweler wants his daughter married off, but only to someone with status, and apparently, a clerk with a stomach full of assets counts as status.

The surgery scenes are just a big excuse for people to run around and look confused. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in The Donkey Did It, though maybe a bit less chaotic.

Odd little bits

• The dialogue moves so fast you miss half the jokes, but the actors seem to be having a blast anyway.
• The jeweler’s office feels like a stage set that might fall over if someone sneezes too hard.
• There is a moment where the clerk just decides to lie, and everyone just rolls with it.
• I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the background is just reading a newspaper the whole time.

It’s weird how the movie ends. He admits he didn't even swallow the pearl, and the jeweler just says, "Whatever, you're famous now, marry my kid." It is such a lazy resolution. But honestly? It works because the movie never pretended to be anything other than a light romp.

It’s not as heavy or dramatic as Polish Jew, and thank god for that. Sometimes you just need a movie about a man with a fake pearl in his gut and absolutely zero real problems.

The way the camera just sits there during the arguments is so… 1930s. It doesn't cut away to make it look exciting. It just lets the actors do their thing until they run out of breath. It feels almost like watching a play where you have the best seat in the house, even if the seat is a bit creaky.

I left this one feeling like I’d just had a very sugary pastry. Not a meal, but definitely pleasant. 🥐