Sleepless Nights: A dusty, musical relic from Nice

Is this for you?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s British musical comedies, then Sleepless Nights is exactly the kind of dusty relic you might actually enjoy on a rainy Sunday. It’s light, it’s silly, and it’s about as complex as a glass of water. But if you hate musical numbers that stop the plot dead in its tracks, you will probably find yourself checking your watch every five minutes.

Honestly, watching this feels a bit like finding a postcard from a vacation you never took. The whole thing is set in Nice, and while you aren't exactly going to feel the Mediterranean breeze, there is a certain charm to the way these characters just sort of sing their feelings at one another.

Stanley Lupino is, well, Stanley Lupino

Lupino carries the weight of the film on his shoulders, which is a big ask. He plays the reporter with this frantic, wide-eyed energy that reminded me a little bit of the chaotic vibe in Charley My Boy!. Sometimes he’s genuinely funny, and other times he’s just loud. There’s a scene where he’s trying to charm the heiress, played by Polly Walker, and it goes on for just a bit too long. You can almost see him waiting for the cue to start his next musical number.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Sleepless Nights (1932) through its definitive frames.

Speaking of the music—it’s very much a product of its time. You won’t be humming these tunes tomorrow, but they fit the vibe of the film. It’s not trying to be Dancing Days or anything that pushes the envelope. It’s just... comfortable.

• The background extras in the Nice scenes look like they’d rather be literally anywhere else.
• The dialogue is snappy, if a bit dated.
• There is a distinct lack of actual plot for about twenty minutes in the second act.

It’s not perfect. The pacing is all over the place, and there are moments where the film just seems to lose its way entirely. But there’s something sweet about it. It’s not a masterpiece, it’s not even a particularly good movie by modern standards, but it has a pulse. Sometimes that’s enough.

Maybe it’s the way the camera lingers on the scenery, or maybe it’s just that I’ve seen too many modern movies that try to be too smart for their own good. Either way, this was a nice break from the noise. 🎵