Le bluffeur: A relic of fast-talking French cinema

Is this worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for pre-code era shenanigans. If you’re a fan of rapid-fire dialogue and movies that feel like a stage play taped to a camera, you’ll probably find something to love here. But if you hate feeling like you're missing half the plot because the actors are racing through their lines like they're late for a bus, you might want to skip it.

It’s funny how this feels like a cousin to Itching Palms in spirit. Both are obsessed with that desperate energy of people trying to make a buck out of thin air.

The Hustle

The whole thing revolves around inventors who are clearly one sandwich short of a picnic. Everyone is constantly trying to sell something that doesn't work to people who don't have the money to buy it. It’s the kind of chaos that makes you laugh, mostly because it’s just so frantic.

The actors really lean into the ‘bluffeur’ persona. There’s a lot of wide eyes and frantic hand gestures. Sometimes it feels like they’re trying to communicate with someone in the back row of a theater rather than the person standing right in front of them.

• The pacing is erratic.
• The sets feel like they might tip over if someone sneezes.
• I’m pretty sure I saw the same chair twice in two different rooms.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it has this weird, frantic soul. There’s a scene where someone tries to explain a new invention, and the camera just stays on them for way too long. The silence between their desperate lies is the best part of the whole movie. You can actually see the panic in their eyes as they realize they have no idea what they're saying next.

Final thoughts, for what they're worth

It’s not as polished as some other films from the same period, but that’s the appeal, right? It feels like it was put together in a week. Sometimes movies like The Temporary Widow have that same 'let’s just roll the cameras and see what happens' vibe.

It’s a bit of a mess. I enjoyed it anyway. 🤷‍♂️