La ronde des heures: A slow, odd trip through old French cinema

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like a faded photograph found in an attic, maybe. If you need a plot that moves faster than a tired snail, stay far away. This is for the kind of person who enjoys staring at architecture in old films just to see what the street signs looked like back then. 🕰️

Honestly, most people will find this boring. It lacks that sharp, snappy energy we’re used to now. It feels like the director was trying to make something profound, but maybe just ended up making something... quiet. Very, very quiet.

The Rhythm of the Thing

The pacing here is bizarre. It doesn't build; it just kind of exists. Sometimes a scene will cut away right when things get interesting, and then we’re stuck watching someone drink coffee for an eternity. It’s almost impressively stubborn about how it chooses to spend its time.

Armand Caratis is in it, and he does his best to look troubled. He spends a lot of time staring out of windows. I think I counted at least four different windows. It’s a performance of pure, unadulterated yearning.

• The lighting in the hallway scenes is strangely moody.
• I swear the same background extra appears in three different scenes as three different people.
• The dialogue sounds like it was recorded in a tin can, but that only adds to the vibe.

It reminded me a bit of the mood in Le chiffonnier de Paris, where the setting almost matters more than the actors. You can feel the age of the film in every frame. It’s grainy, it’s twitchy, and it feels like it might dissolve if you touch it.

Bits and Bobs

There’s a moment near the middle where someone drops a glass. The sound of it shattering is so loud compared to the rest of the film that I jumped. Was that intentional? Probably not. It was just a little mistake that made the whole thing feel more human.

I kept waiting for a big twist. It never came. It just sort of stopped. It didn’t really finish; it just ceased to be. That kind of honesty is rare, even if it is a bit frustrating.

If you’re a fan of early talkies, you’ll find plenty to pick apart. If you just want a movie to watch while you fold laundry, skip it. You’ll end up staring at the screen, confused about why nothing has happened for twenty minutes. 🤷‍♂️