Watching a baby-faced Jean Gabin trip over suitcases in Ohé! Les valises

Is this worth watching today? Honestly, only if you are a die-hard fan of Jean Gabin or you just really love seeing how people used to dress at train stations in the late 20s. If you are looking for a deep story or some kind of emotional journey, you will probably hate this. It is just people falling over.

The whole thing feels like a home movie that accidentally had a budget. It is called Ohé! Les valises which basically translates to "Hey! The suitcases." And let me tell you, they really lean into that title. There are so many bags in this movie. 🧳

It’s only about eight or nine minutes long, depending on which version you find. I watched a copy that looked like it had been stored in a damp basement for most of the century. The film grain is so thick in some parts it looks like a snowstorm is happening inside the train station.

But then you see him. A very young Jean Gabin. He is not the tough, grumpy guy we know from the later noir films. Here, he is practically a kid. He has this weird, bouncy energy that is almost hard to recognize. It’s like watching a video of your grandpa when he was twenty and realizing he used to be a goofball.

The plot—if you can even call it that—is just pure slapstick. People arrive, bags get mixed up, and everyone starts running around like they’ve never seen a suitcase before. It reminds me a bit of the physical comedy in Smile Please, though maybe a bit more frantic. There is no real logic to why anyone is doing anything.

Raymond Dandy is in this too. He does this specific "Dandy" character that was big in French music halls. He wears a hat that is way too small and walks like his shoes are three sizes too tight. 🎩 It’s the kind of humor that feels very 1928. It’s simple, but you can see the audience in the theater back then probably losing their minds.

I noticed one guy in the background of the station scene who looks totally lost. He isn't an actor, I think. He is just a guy trying to get to his train and he keeps looking at the camera with this confused expression. It’s my favorite part of the whole thing. It makes the movie feel more real, somehow.

The way how the bags hit the floor has a specific rhythm. It’s almost like a dance. Gabin has this moment where he tries to lift three bags at once and his face goes totally red. You can tell he was actually trying to be a physical comedian before he became a serious actor.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Ohé! Les valises (1928) through its definitive frames.

The costumes are incredible, though. Everyone is wearing these heavy wool coats and giant hats. I don't know how they moved around so much without passing out from the heat. The women’s hats are so big they look like they could catch a satellite signal if satellites existed back then.

There is a lot of shoving. So much shoving. It’s like the director told everyone, "If you don't know what to do, just push the person next to you." It works for a while, but by the five-minute mark, you kind of get the point. It’s a bit like watching Lonesome Corners in that it feels very much of its time, for better or worse.

One reaction shot of Dandy lingers for way too long. He just stares at the camera with his mouth open for about ten seconds. It stops being funny and starts being uncomfortable, then it becomes funny again. I think the editor might have just stepped out for a coffee during that part.

The movie doesn't really have an ending. It just sort of... stops? The chaos reaches a peak and then the screen goes black. Maybe they ran out of film. Or maybe they realized they had enough footage of people tripping over leather bags. 👜

If you compare this to something like The Fighting Sheriff, it’s much more chaotic. It’s not trying to tell a story about heroes or villains. It’s just trying to make you laugh at frustrated people. There is something kind of nice about that simplicity.

I found myself wondering what the people on set were thinking. Did Gabin know he was going to be a legend? Probably not. He looks like he's just happy to have a job and a chance to show off his timing. His timing is actually pretty good, even if the material is thin.

The picture quality on the version I saw was pretty bad, honestly. There are these white scratches that dance across the screen the whole time. It adds a bit of charm, though. Like you're looking through a window into a world that doesn't exist anymore.

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it a fun way to spend ten minutes if you're a film nerd? Yeah, definitely. It's a weird little piece of history that shows where one of the greatest actors of all time started. He started by falling over a suitcase. And honestly, there is something pretty great about that.

Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. It’s just a bunch of people being loud without making any sound. And sometimes, that is exactly what you need on a Tuesday afternoon. 🎞️