Le roi des palaces: A weirdly charming mess

If you're looking for a smooth, classic romance, look elsewhere. Le roi des palaces is the kind of movie that makes you scratch your head while you're half-smiling at the screen. It's for people who like old French cinema that feels a bit unhinged. If you hate movies where the main character is kind of a jerk, you’re gonna have a bad time here.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Le roi des palaces (1932) through its definitive frames.

Jules Berry is doing a lot of heavy lifting. He plays this aristocrat working in a hotel, and he just radiates this weird energy. It’s like he’s bored with his own life but also obsessed with keeping the hotel chaos moving. There’s a scene where he’s talking to a guest, and his eyes just look like he’s thinking about his lunch instead of the dialogue.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Le roi des palaces (1932) through its definitive frames.

It’s honestly refreshing to see a lead character who doesn't care about the "happily ever after." He has a lady customer he could marry, but no, he’d rather stay behind the scenes and flirt with the staff. It’s petty. It’s messy. It’s strangely relatable in a 1930s sort of way. 🏨

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Le roi des palaces (1932) through its definitive frames.

The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it feels like they forgot to yell 'cut' and just kept rolling while everyone stood around. It’s not as polished as The Joyless Street, but it has this loose, frantic vibe that I kind of dug. It doesn't have the grand scale of The Cradle of the Washingtons, and frankly, it’s better for it.

The staff dynamics feel surprisingly real, even if the acting is a bit heightened. You get the sense that these people have been stuck in this lobby for a century. There's a moment near the middle where a character just wanders through the background for like, ten seconds too long. It adds nothing. I loved it.

Everything feels a bit like a dusty stage play. You can almost smell the old velvet curtains. It’s not perfect. Some of the side characters are just there to fill space, like props that can talk.

• Jules Berry’s smirk is the real protagonist.
• The hotel lobby set looks like it’s held together by tape and prayers.
• The dialogue is fast enough to make your ears ring if you aren't paying attention.

If you’re coming into this expecting a deep, meaningful drama, you’ll be disappointed. It’s more of a snapshot of a guy who just wants to stay in his lane, even if his lane is a weird, aristocratic hotel gig. It’s a bit of a relic, but it’s a fun one if you’re in the mood for something that doesn't try too hard to be important. 🍷