Their Night Out: A Messy Comedy That Doesn't Try Too Hard

Is this thing worth a watch?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for 1930s British fluff. If you hate slapstick or get annoyed by characters who make the absolute worst decision in every single room they enter, skip it. You will probably want to throw your remote at the screen if you prefer a plot that actually makes sense.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Their Night Out (1933) through its definitive frames.

Claude Hulbert plays Jimmy, and he’s essentially a walking catastrophe. The man manages to look confused even when he's just standing still. Watching him navigate the nightclub scene is like watching a baby deer try to ice skate. It's ridiculous, sure, but there is a certain sweetness to his incompetence that you just don't see in modern comedies.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Their Night Out (1933) through its definitive frames.

The Mistaken Identity Shuffle

The whole bit where he gets confused for a hardened criminal gang leader is absurd. I mean, look at the guy! The thugs in this movie must have had their vision checked. There is a scene about twenty minutes in where he is trying to act tough, and it’s honestly one of the funniest things I have seen in weeks. He just looks so terrified of his own shadow.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Their Night Out (1933) through its definitive frames.

• The dialogue is snappy, if a bit dated.
• The lighting in the nightclub looks like it was done with a single flickering candle.
• I’m pretty sure I saw a boom mic dip into the frame twice.

Compared to something like Birds of a Feather, this movie feels a lot more loose and improvised. It doesn't have that polished, stage-play feel that a lot of movies from this era suffer from. It just feels like a bunch of people having a laugh.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Their Night Out (1933) through its definitive frames.

There is a sequence in the back alley that just goes on for way too long. The silence is supposed to be tense, I think, but it just feels like the actors forgot their next line for a second. It's charming in a weird, broken way. Very human. 😅

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Their Night Out (1933) through its definitive frames.

Don't look for deep themes here. There aren't any. It’s just a silly guy in a bad situation, and sometimes that is enough. If you want something that requires you to actually think, maybe watch The Avenger instead. This is strictly for when your brain is fried and you just want to see someone trip over their own feet for an hour.

The pacing is a total disaster, honestly. It jumps from scene to scene without any real regard for continuity, but somehow it still works? It’s like the editor was working on a deadline and just said, "Eh, good enough." I kinda love that energy.