Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator

Honestly, only if you have a real soft spot for 1930s French cinema. If you're looking for something with a sharp edge or modern pacing, skip it. But if you’re a fan of Claude Dauphin and just want to turn your brain off for an hour, it hits the spot in a weird, dusty way. 🎞️
The whole thing feels like it’s happening in a vacuum. People enter rooms, say something frantic, and leave. It’s got that jittery energy you see in movies like No Parking, where the plot is less about stakes and more about just keeping the momentum from collapsing.
There’s a scene about halfway through where someone is holding a letter—I think? I lost track because the background wallpaper was honestly more interesting. It’s got these weird, oversized patterns that seem to vibrate every time the camera shakes.
Also, Armand Bernard really knows how to over-act with his eyebrows. It’s almost distracting. You can tell he’s *trying* to sell the panic, but sometimes it just looks like he’s having a minor allergic reaction to the set lighting.
It’s not trying to win an Oscar. It just wants to get you to the credits without you falling asleep.
The dialogue is fast, almost too fast. Sometimes I felt like they were trying to cram an entire novel's worth of exposition into thirty seconds of chatter. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Marriage Speculation, but with fewer actual jokes that landed.
Maybe I was just tired, but the ending felt like it arrived about ten minutes too early. Or maybe it was ten minutes too late? It just sort of stopped. No big swell, no real resolution, just… everyone standing in a room looking slightly relieved.
Look, it’s not going to change your life. It’s a movie that exists, and that’s about as much as I can say for it. It’s light, it’s forgettable, and sometimes that’s perfectly fine for a Tuesday night when you're eating soup.
Year
1931
IMDb Rating
—

Editorial
Deciphering the legacy of transgressive cult cinema.
Community
Log in to comment.