Plein aux as (1933) - A messy but fun French comedy about money

You should watch this if you have a soft spot for those old French movies where everyone talks at once and the plot is basically just people running through doors. It’s perfect for a rainy Sunday when you don’t want to think too hard. If you hate fast-talking subtitles or black-and-white comedies that feel like a filmed stage play, you will probably want to skip this one.

I found a copy of this because I was looking for more stuff with Gaston Modot. He is usually in these super serious, artsy films like Alraune or the stuff Buñuel did. Seeing him in a goofy comedy like this is just weird, but in a good way. He has this very intense face that makes even the dumbest joke feel a little bit more important.

The main guy, Tramel, is the real star here though. He has this face that looks like it is made out of soggy bread. He plays the guy who gets rich—the 'Plein aux as' of the title—and he spends most of the movie looking like he is about to sneeze or cry. It is a very specific kind of physical comedy that you don't really see anymore.

The Vibes of the 1930s

The movie starts out pretty slow. We get a lot of scenes of people sitting in offices and talking about money. It feels a bit like L'amoureuse aventure in how it sets up the social stakes. But once the money actually shows up, the whole thing just explodes into chaos.

I love how the sets look. You can tell they are just painted wood and some fancy rugs. It gives the movie this homely feeling. There is a scene in a dining room where the lighting is just slightly off, and it makes everyone's shadows look like they are dancing on the walls. I doubt the director meant for it to look spooky, but it was a cool mistake.

• The way Tramel holds a cigar is actually hilarious.
• The background actors in the street scenes look like they were just pulled off the sidewalk five minutes before filming.
• There is a lady with a hat that is way too big for her head.

There is this one moment where a character is trying to hide a stack of bills under a cushion. He does it so badly that you can clearly see the paper sticking out. The camera just lingers on it for like five seconds too long. It makes the scene feel very real, like they couldn't afford a second take so they just kept going.

It reminds me a bit of the energy in The Redhead, but without the depressing parts. It is just pure, silly energy. The script was written by a bunch of guys including Jacques Houssin, and you can tell there were too many cooks in the kitchen. Sometimes a character will start a sentence and then another character will just cut them off and the original thought is just gone.

I think my favorite part was the valet. He is so stiff and formal while everyone else is losing their minds. It is a classic trope, sure, but it works every time. Especially when he has to deal with Tramel's character who has no idea how to be rich.

Is it actually good?

It is not a masterpiece. The sound quality is a bit crunchy in places. You might have to turn the volume up to hear what they are saying over the hiss of the old film. But there is a soul to it that you don't get in modern comedies. It feels like everyone involved was having a genuinely good time, or at least they were really committed to the bit.

The ending is a bit of a mess. It kind of just... stops? Like they ran out of film or the actors had to go to lunch. It doesn't really matter though because the journey there was fun enough. It's a lot like Jubilo in that way—it's more about the character being a goofball than the actual plot resolution.

One reaction shot of Charlotte Clasis just goes on forever. She is looking at a diamond ring and she has this look that is half-greedy and half-confused. I think she might have been waiting for a cue that never came. It is charming in a way that only these 30s movies can be.

If you can find a version of this, give it a watch. Just don't expect anything life-changing. It is just a movie about a guy with a lot of money and a lot of problems. And sometimes, that is exactly what you need to see. 🥂

I noticed that the outfits change slightly between shots in the big party scene. One guy has a bowtie that is straight, then crooked, then straight again. It is these little things that make me love old cinema. It feels human. It feels like people made it with their hands and some glue.

Anyway, go watch Tramel be a weirdo. It's worth the hour and a half.