Son altesse l'amour: Annabella is great but Fred is a bit of a jerk

Is this worth your time today? Honestly, yeah, but only if you have a soft spot for those early 1930s movies where everyone speaks like they’re in a theater play. It is a total gem for people who love vintage French vibes, but modern viewers who need fast pacing will probably turn it off after ten minutes.

The movie starts with Fred Leroy. He is rich. Not just 'new car' rich, but 'my family owns the whole company' rich. He spends his time at a cabaret bar, which is where he sees Annette.

Annette is played by Annabella, and she is basically the whole movie. She has this way of looking at Fred that makes you realize why a man would consider throwing away his entire inheritance. It’s that old-school movie star magnetism that you don't see much anymore.

Fred proposes to her pretty fast. It feels like one of those movie romances where they've talked for maybe an hour total. But then the Leroy family finds out, and things get ugly in a very polite, rich-person way.

The family is just a collection of stuffy people in high collars. They look at Annette and her dad like they’re something stuck to the bottom of their shoe. It reminded me a bit of the class stuff in The Gold Rush, but without the slapstick to soften the blow.

The part that made me annoyed

So, the family offers Fred a deal. Give up the girl, get a bigger office, and more money. And Fred? He actually says yes.

It’s one of those moments where you want to reach into the screen and shake him. He’s supposed to be the hero, but for a good chunk of the middle, he's just a corporate sell-out. It makes the romance feel a bit thin when you realize he values a leather chair over the love of his life.

Annette finds out, of course. The scene where she learns about his 'deal' is actually pretty sad. The music gets all dramatic, and you can see her heart just sort of sink. 💔

She decides to marry someone else out of spite, or maybe just to move on. It’s the classic 'misunderstanding' trope that drove so many of these old scripts. It feels a bit like the plot beats you'd find in something like Rose-Marie, where duty and love are always fighting.

Odd little details

I noticed the sound quality is kind of weird in the office scenes. It has that echoey, empty room sound that early talkies always had. It makes the family feel even colder, like they live in a tomb made of money.

There is this one guy, Annette's father. He is supposed to be 'unsophisticated,' but he’s actually the most likable person in the room. He just wants a drink and for his daughter to be happy. 🍻

The cabaret scenes have a lot of energy. You can tell the director enjoyed filming the bar more than the boring Leroy mansion. There’s a lot more movement and the background extras actually look like they’re having fun.

One reaction shot of the uncle goes on for way too long. He just stares at Fred with this look of pure disgust. It becomes accidentally funny after about five seconds of silence.

Is it a musical?

Sort of. It has that operetta feel. People don't just talk; they sometimes feel like they’re about to burst into song. It’s very 1931. It’s light, fluffy, and a little bit silly.

The ending is exactly what you think it will be. I won't spoil it, but let’s just say movies back then didn't usually like to leave people unhappy. Even if Fred didn't really deserve a win after his little betrayal.

• The Good: Annabella's performance, the cozy bar scenes, and the funny hats.
• The Bad: Fred is a bit of a wimp, and the family is cartoonishly evil.
• The Weird: The way people just walk into each other's houses without knocking.

If you're bored and want to see what French cinema looked like before it got all 'artsy' and serious later on, give it a go. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s got a lot of charm. Just don't expect it to change your life.

It's better than a lot of the other stuff from that year, like The Pillory which is just a slog. This one at least has some life in it. 🎥

The script is a bit messy. Too many writers, maybe? It feels like three different people wrote the beginning, middle, and end. But somehow, it mostly works if you don't think too hard about it.

Anyway, I liked it. It’s a nice little time capsule. Just watch it for the bar scenes and ignore the boring board meetings.