Les rigolos (1928) Review: Mustaches, Mischief, and Miss France

If you are the type of person who actually enjoys digging through dusty silent film archives, Les rigolos is worth a look today. It’s a short, weirdly energetic piece of French history that doesn't demand too much of your brain.

You’ll probably enjoy it if you like physical comedy that feels a bit unhinged. You will definitely hate it if you need a plot that actually goes from point A to point B without getting distracted by a shiny object every five minutes. 🤡

The movie is basically just a bunch of people running around being "funny," which is what the title literally translates to. It has that frantic 1920s energy where everyone seems to be caffeinated to the max.

Raymonde Allain is in this, and she’s probably the biggest draw. She was Miss France around the time this was made, and the camera absolutely knows it.

There are several shots where the plot just stops so we can look at her. She has this look on her face sometimes like she’s trying to remember if she left the stove on back at the hotel.

Then there is Albert Duvaleix. His face is like a piece of silly putty.

He does this thing with his eyebrows where they almost disappear into his hairline whenever he's shocked. Which is often. In fact, he spends about 40% of the movie looking shocked at things that aren't even that surprising.

One scene in a dining room goes on for way too long. It’s supposed to be this big comedic set-piece, but it starts to feel a bit repetitive after the third time someone almost falls over a chair.

I noticed a dog in the background of one of the street scenes that looked genuinely terrified of the actors. It’s those little unplanned moments that make these old movies feel real, you know?

The movie is way more chaotic than something like The Open Road. While that one is basically a slow travelogue, Les rigolos is trying desperately to make you laugh every ten seconds.

It doesn’t always work. Some of the jokes feel like they were old even in 1928.

There is a lot of aggressive gesturing. If these people were actually talking, they’d be shouting at the top of their lungs.

I found myself wondering about the costumes. The hats are incredible. One of the women, I think it was Madame Barlett, wears a hat that looks like a structural hazard.

It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Sawmill. It’s that same kind of "just keep moving and maybe they won't notice there’s no story" vibe.

The print I saw was a bit grainy, which actually adds to the charm. It feels like you’re looking through a window into a party that happened a hundred years ago and everyone is slightly drunk.

There is a scene where someone tries to hide behind a curtain that is clearly too small for them. It’s so dumb, but I actually laughed.

The editing is... well, it’s choice. Some cuts are so jarring they give you a little bit of whiplash.

One minute they are in a house, and the next they are suddenly in a park with no explanation. I think they might have lost some footage over the years, or the editor just gave up. 🤷‍♂️

It’s not a masterpiece by any means. It’s just a weird little relic of a time when movies were still figuring out how to be movies.

The ending is so abrupt it’s almost funny in itself. It just... stops. No big wrap-up, no emotional payoff, just a black screen.

If you have a spare hour and a soft spot for silent slapstick, give it a go. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything.