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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Pêle-Mêle remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Alright, so if you’re looking for a deep, thought-provoking cinematic journey, Pêle-Mêle probably isn’t your ticket. But if you’re after some honest-to-goodness, gut-busting slapstick from the masters themselves, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, then yes, this one’s absolutely worth digging up. Fans of early comedy, the kind where physical gags are king, will find plenty to chuckle at. Folks who need their movies fast-paced and loaded with dialogue might struggle a bit; it’s a different rhythm entirely.
The whole thing kicks off with Ollie trying to get Stan to, well, *do something* useful around the house. You know how it goes. They’re supposed to be tidying up, or maybe fixing something – the exact 'why' gets lost in the ensuing pandemonium, which is exactly how it should be. The initial setup is so wonderfully mundane, almost like a trap.
There’s this one bit, early on, where Stan is tasked with dusting a shelf. Simple enough, right? Except he somehow manages to get tangled in the drapes, then pulls down a potted plant, which splashes mud all over Ollie’s pristine suit. Ollie’s reaction shot here is just **priceless**. That slow, deliberate turn to face Stan, the barely-there tremor in his jowls – it’s a masterclass in controlled exasperation. You can almost feel the steam coming out of his ears. 😠
And then it spirals. Oh, does it spiral. A bucket of water, a slippery floor, and what looks like a very confused cat make for a fantastic sequence. You know, the kind where you just *know* someone’s going to end up soaked, but the journey there is half the fun. It’s not just the fall itself, but the *build-up*. Laurel’s frantic, wide-eyed attempts to warn Ollie, which only make things worse, are just typical.
Yola d'Avril pops up too, as the neighbor, I think? She gets caught in the crossfire, naturally. Her initial shock, then her gradual descent into sheer bewilderment, is a nice counterpoint to the boys’ relentless chaos. It’s easy to overlook these smaller performances in a Laurel and Hardy short, but they really help ground the absurdity, making it feel just a *touch* more real.
The writing by H.M. Walker and Leo McCarey here, while simple, is so effective. They understand the mechanics of a good sight gag. It’s not about witty banter, but about setting up a domino effect of misfortunes. One small mistake leads to another, and another, until the whole room is a disaster zone. It’s like watching a Rube Goldberg machine of bad luck.
There’s a moment towards the end, after everything is utterly wrecked, where Stan just sort of… shrugs. A tiny, almost imperceptible shrug. It’s such a human detail. Like, "Well, what did you expect?" And Ollie, of course, is beside himself. But you can see, underneath it all, a sliver of that affection he has for his clumsy friend. 🥰
Some of these older films can feel a bit creaky, but the physical comedy in Pêle-Mêle still lands. It’s the universal language of pratfalls and frustrated sighs. You don’t need much context to get it. It’s just funny. You watch them trying to navigate a simple doorway and it becomes a Herculean effort. The sheer **inefficiency** of their efforts is where the comedy truly lives.
It’s not a masterpiece on the scale of, say, One Week by Buster Keaton, which is a different kind of genius altogether. But it’s a solid, reliable laugh. It reminds you that sometimes, the simplest jokes are the best ones. No grand statements, just two guys making a mess, and making us laugh while they do it. This isn't one for the history books, maybe, but it's a pleasant diversion on a quiet afternoon. 🎬
IMDb 6.6
1930
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