Montmartre Rose: A messy silent drama about mean uncles and cafe dancers

If you like old silent movies where everyone is way too dramatic about who is marrying who, you might actually enjoy this one. But if you can't stand plots that rely on one big, stupid misunderstanding, steer clear. 🍷

Henri is a jeweler in Paris. He has a nice life, but then he meets Rose.

She is the "dancing queen" of the Montmartre cafes. This basically means she is the life of the party and probably smells like expensive perfume and cigarettes.

Rosemary Theby plays Rose with a lot of energy. You can see why Henri is smitten, even if he looks a bit stiff in his fancy suits.

The jewelry guy—Henri—seems like a nice enough fellow, but he's a bit of a pushover. Especially when his uncle shows up.

The uncle is from the country and is totally horrified by Rose. He is one of those "respectable" types who is actually just a total killjoy.

He hires this woman named Jeanne to ruin everything. Jeanne is just... mean.

There is a scene where she looks at Rose with such side-eye I thought her eyes might get stuck. 😒

The whole plan is to make Henri think Rose is being unfaithful. It is such a classic trope that feels a bit tired today, but I guess it worked in 1921.

It reminds me a bit of the drama in The Price of Innocence but with more feathers and wine.

There is one shot of a necklace that lingers for about thirty seconds. I get it, he sells jewelry. But we don't need to count every single pearl on the string.

Martha Mattox is in this, and she has that stern face that just makes you feel like you're in trouble. She really leans into the unpleasantness of the situation.

The cafe scenes are definitely the best part. They feel crowded and a bit chaotic, which is a nice break from the stiff living room scenes.

It has that old-school Paris vibe that everyone tries to copy now but usually fails at. 🇫🇷

I noticed a stray cat in the background of one street scene. It didn't do anything, but it was honestly more interesting than Henri's facial expressions for a minute there.

The lighting is a bit hit-or-miss. Sometimes it is so dark you can barely see the actors' hands during the big "reveal" moment.

Is it a masterpiece? Not really.

It is more like a dramatic soap opera that happens to be a century old. It lacks the weird charm of something like The Lottery Man.

If you've seen The Barker, you know how these performer stories usually go. This is the same, just with more French cafe culture and less circus dust.

The ending feels a bit rushed to me. One minute everyone is crying and ruined, and the next, it is just... over?

Still, it’s worth a watch on a rainy Sunday if you're into the era. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. 🕯️

One reaction shot of the uncle goes on so long it actually becomes funny. He just stares into the void of his own disappointment.

Also, the hats. The hats in this movie are absolutely massive. I don't know how Rose kept her neck straight while wearing some of those things.

Anyway, it's a decent enough time-waster for silent film nerds. Others might find it a bit slow.