Prosper et le concours de beauté: A Bizarre Little Relic

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you probably don't need to watch Prosper et le concours de beauté unless you’re a total completist for early French animation. It’s a weird, fragmented experience that feels more like a doodle coming to life than a movie. If you want a tight story, look elsewhere. If you want to see a weird little guy navigate a pageant, have at it. 🤷‍♂️

The vibe

The whole thing feels like someone decided to animate a fever dream on a lunch break. Alain Saint-Ogan clearly had a specific vision, but it doesn't always translate to the screen in a way that makes sense. The pacing? It's non-existent. The movie just sort of happens to you.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Prosper et le concours de beauté (1932) through its definitive frames.

There is this one moment where the background detail seems to just... give up. It’s almost charming in how low-budget it feels. You can tell they were just trying to get the lines on the paper and move to the next frame.

Comparing the mess

It’s nowhere near the charm of something like When the Cat's Away, which feels like it has a soul. Prosper is just sort of drifting. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Brownie's Busy Day, but without the payoff. Sometimes, a film is just a film, you know?

• The character design is... a choice.
• The pageant scenes feel like they were drawn by someone who had never actually seen a pageant.
• Why is the music so loud? It feels like it's trying to wake me up.

Final thoughts

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even really a 'good' movie by modern standards. But there’s something about the jagged edges of the animation that feels honest. It’s imperfect. It’s scratchy. It’s weird. Sometimes that’s enough to keep you watching for a few minutes before you go do something else. 🎞️