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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Maison de danses remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you love dusty, sweaty old dramas where everyone makes the worst possible choices, Maison de danses is absolutely worth a look. Melodrama fans will eat this up, but anyone expecting a slick, fast-paced romance will probably turn it off after ten minutes. 😴
The whole plot is basically three guys circling around Estrella, a pretty dancer in a Spanish port town. She just wants to dance, but these men are determined to make it all about them.
First you got the dance hall boss who pretends to help her career but mostly just looks creepy. Then there is the married fisherman—played by the great Charles Vanel—and his younger brother who both lose their minds over her.
This whole setup feels very much like those late silent-era dramas, almost like Dark Secrets, where the atmosphere is so heavy you can practically smell the salt water and cheap wine.
Gaby Morlay plays Estrella with so much energy she almost vibrates off the screen. Sometimes her acting is a bit much, like she’s trying to perform for the back row of a theater that is three miles away. 🎭
But honestly? It kind of works for this kind of movie.
There is this one incredibly weird scene where she does a dance and the camera just stares at her feet for a really long time. I think the cameraman fell asleep or something because the framing is just slightly off-center.
Also, the sound is pretty rough since it was made in 1930. Everyone sounds like they are shouting into a metal bucket, which actually makes the dramatic arguments hilarious.
I noticed a dog wander into the background of a street scene, and a random hand quickly reaches out from the side of the screen to drag it away. I love stuff like that; it shows how chaotic making these early sound films must have been. 🐕
Charles Vanel is the best part of the movie, even though his character is a total mess. He has this amazing ability to look like his dog just died, even when he’s just standing there doing nothing.
The younger brother is pretty forgettable, though. I literally forgot he was in the movie until he showed up again near the end to cause more trouble.
By the time the finale rolls around, the movie just sort of rushes to the finish line. It’s like the director Maurice Tourneur realized they were running out of film and needed to wrap things up immediately.
It is definitely not a perfect movie, but it has a greasy, raw charm that you just don't get in modern stuff. If you can handle the hissing audio, give it a spin.
IMDb —
1927
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