Lévy et Cie Review: A Boat Full of Lévys and Early Talkie Chaos

I finally got around to watching Lévy et Cie and honestly, it’s a bit of a trip. If you like old-school French comedies where everyone is shouting at once, you’ll probably have a good time. If you hate movies where the plot relies on 200 people having the exact same last name, you should probably stay away. 🚢

It’s 1930. Sound in movies was still pretty new and you can tell.

The whole thing takes place on a ship heading to New York. The premise is just wild. There are literally hundreds of people on this boat named Lévy. All of them think they are the secret heir to some guy named Abraham Lévy who was worth millions.

It’s like a giant family reunion where nobody actually knows each other and everyone is greedy. 💸

Our main guy is David Lévy. He’s played by André Burgère, who looks a bit like he’s trying too hard to be a romantic lead. He falls for a girl named Esther. Her last name? You guessed it. Lévy.

I found myself laughing at the sheer repetition of the name. After about thirty minutes, the word "Lévy" stops sounding like a name and just becomes a weird sound. Lévy. Lévy. Lévy.

The real stars for me were the uncles, Salomon and Moïse. They are played by Lugné-Poe and Léon Belières. These two spend most of the movie huddling in corners and whispering like they’re in a spy thriller. But they’re just trying to control David’s love life.

There is this one scene in the dining hall where the confusion over the names reaches a boiling point. The waiter looks like he’s about to have a mental breakdown. He keeps calling out for "Monsieur Lévy" and about fifty men stand up at the same time. It’s classic slapstick, even if it goes on a bit too long.

The movie reminds me a little bit of Poker Faces because of that frantic, energetic vibe. It’s not quite as polished, but it has that same "let's see how much noise we can make" energy.

I noticed the sets look kind of flimsy. You can almost see the walls of the ship shaking when someone slams a door too hard. It adds to the charm, I think. It feels like a stage play that someone decided to film on a whim.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Lévy et Cie (1930) through its definitive frames.

Marie Glory plays Esther, and she’s actually quite good. She has these big, expressive eyes that do a lot of the heavy lifting when the dialogue gets too cluttered. Some of the other actors are just... yelling. A lot of yelling. 🗣️

The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it feels like the ship is moving at light speed, and then we get a five-minute scene of people just sitting around talking about inheritance taxes. It’s uneven as hell.

I think I saw a guy in the background of one shot who looked totally lost. He’s just standing by the railing looking at the camera like he forgot his lines. Or maybe he’s just one of the 200 Lévys who didn't get a speaking part.

There’s a bit of a subplot about a virus or something in some of these old ship movies, but here, the only sickness is greed. And maybe seasickness. The camera tilts a few times to show the waves, and it made me feel a little woozy too.

If you’ve seen Taxi 13, you know how these early sound comedies love their coincidences. Lévy et Cie takes that to the extreme. It’s basically one giant coincidence that lasts eighty minutes.

The uncles are definitely the highlight. Their facial expressions are so exaggerated. At one point, Moïse makes a face that I swear I’ve seen in a cartoon. It’s that kind of broad comedy that doesn't really exist anymore.

Does the romance work? Not really. David and Esther don't have a ton of chemistry. They mostly just look at each other while the uncles bark orders. But you don't watch a movie like this for the deep emotional connection. You watch it to see 200 people lose their minds over a dead millionaire’s money. 💰

The ending feels a bit rushed. Like they realized they were running out of film and had to wrap it up in three minutes. Everything gets resolved way too easily, but that’s 1930s cinema for you.

Overall, I’m glad I watched it. It’s a messy, loud piece of history. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s fun in a chaotic sort of way. Just don't expect it to make total sense.

Some random notes from my pad:

• The hats. Everyone is wearing a different hat. How do they not lose them in the wind?
• There is a lot of smoking. Like, a lot. The ship must have been one giant cloud.
• The sound quality is scratchy, so keep the volume at a medium level unless you want a headache.
• I’m still not sure if I’m a Lévy or not after watching this. It’s contagious.

If you can find a decent copy, give it a look. It’s a weird little window into a time when movies were still figuring out how to talk. Just bring some aspirin for the shouting. 🍷