L'arpète (1928) - A messy, fun French fashion farce

If you're in the mood for a quick French silent film that doesn't feel like a stuffy history lesson, *L'arpète* is actually a solid choice. It is for people who enjoy watching a guy dig himself into a hole of his own making.

But if you want something heavy or super serious like The Last Days of Pompeii, you should probably skip this. This is just a movie about a designer who is **completely broke** and desperate.

Pommier is our main guy, and he is a total caricature. He is supposed to be a parody of Poiret, who was a big deal fashion designer back then.

He acts like every single dress he touches is a holy relic. It is honestly pretty funny to watch him handle fabric with such *fake* intensity.

The plot is basically one big lie. He needs a wealthy industrialist to save his company, so he tricks him.

He gets one of his apprentices to pretend she is a rich society woman who loves his clothes. It is the oldest trick in the book, but it works on the guy.

It kind of reminded me of the vibes in The Marriage Market but with more silk and ego. The girl playing the socialite is actually the best part of the movie.

She is supposed to be "impertinent," which in 1928 basically meant she had a personality and talked back. Pommier gets annoyed and fires her almost immediately after the deal is done.

Big mistake. The rich guy comes back a few days later and says he is madly in love with the fake socialite.

He won't sign the big order unless he can see her again. Now Pommier has to find the girl he just insulted and kicked out on the street.

Things I scribbled down while watching

• The sets are really cool and have that late-20s Art Deco look that I love.
• There is a reaction shot of the industrialist that lingers for like 10 seconds too long. It starts to feel like the actor forgot his next move.
• Pauline Carton is in this! She doesn't have a huge part, but her face is always doing something hilarious in the background.
• The way they filmed the fashion show scenes feels oddly modern compared to other films from that era.

The middle part of the movie drags a little bit. They spend way too much time with Pommier looking stressed in his office.

But the energy picks up once he starts searching for the apprentice. It turns into a bit of a frantic chase which is fun to watch.

It is definitely better than some other stuff from the same year, like The Flyin' Cowboy. That one is okay, but it doesn't have this specific French wit.

I wouldn't say this is a masterpiece, but it’s a good time. It feels like the director, Donatien, was having a bit of a laugh with how ridiculous the fashion world can be.

It’s a short watch too. Perfect for a lazy afternoon when you don't want to think too hard about the "human condition" or whatever.

The ending is pretty predictable, but that's fine for a farce. You kind of want to see Pommier get what's coming to him. 👗