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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
Honestly, only if you are a completionist for early French sound comedies. If you need something that moves with a modern pace or makes sense, look elsewhere. People who enjoy watching 1930s stage-acting styles translated to film will probably find it endearing, but everyone else might just be bored to tears. 🎭
The whole thing feels like a play that someone forgot to take off the stage. The doors are always slamming, and the characters are constantly entering a room just to look confused. It’s all very theatrical, which is a nice way of saying it’s a bit stiff.
There’s this one sequence where the characters are chasing each other around the Bal Tabarin, and I think I counted at least three people who didn't know where to stand when the camera started rolling. It reminded me a bit of the slapstick mess in The Gorilla, just with more French accents and less actual gorillas.
Simone Mareuil is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She has this look on her face like she’s trying to figure out why the script is so thin, which is actually the most relatable part of the entire movie. You can see her eyes darting around, probably looking for a better line to say.
It’s not trying to be a profound statement on society or anything. It just wants to be a lark. Sometimes it hits, mostly it misses, but there’s something nice about seeing a movie that doesn't care if you think it's 'good' or not. It’s just there, existing in its own little bubble of 1930s noise.
I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. It's more of a curiosity. You watch it, you shrug, you move on to something better like The Gaucho if you want something with actual grit. But for a rainy afternoon? It’s fine, I guess. Just don't expect it to change your life. 🎞️
Year
1933
IMDb Rating
—
Editorial
Deciphering the legacy of transgressive cult cinema.
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