Un caprice de la Pompadour (1931) Review - Loud, Dusty, and Very French

Skip this one if you hate crackly old black-and-white films where everyone sings their lines like they are trying to wake up the neighbors. But if you have a soft spot for weird early 1930s French comedies, Un caprice de la Pompadour is a neat little time machine.

It is definitely not for anyone who needs actual tension or, you know, believable romance.

The Loudest Operetta in France

The whole plot kicks off because this guy Gaston writes a nasty poem about Madame de Pompadour and King Louis XV. Instead of getting his head chopped off like most people would, the Marchioness thinks he is hot and decides to protect him.

It is the ultimate "he is cute so he gets away with treason" story.

The acting here is... well, it is very loud. Since this was made in 1931, you can practically hear the actors shouting toward the hidden microphones.

Every time Marcelle Denya enters a room, she gasps like she just remembered she left the stove on. And the costumes are incredibly heavy, looking like they are wearing three layers of velvet curtains.

There is a scene at the palace where Gaston is performing in a play and get denounced. The extras in the background look completely lost.

One guy in a giant white wig is just staring directly at the camera for about five seconds. He looks like he is wondering if he left his horse untied outside.

It reminds me of the crowd scenes in those old silent films, like The Merry Widow, where people just sort of mill around hoping they are in frame. But here, they have to do it while people are singing operetta songs.

The Canada Solution

The music is catchy in a very dusty, gramophone sort of way. But the audio quality is so scratchy it sounds like someone is frying bacon in the next room.

My absolute favorite part of the whole thing have to be the ending.

The King finds out about Gaston but decides to be "merciful" by banishing him to Canada. The way they say "Canada" makes it sound like they are sending him to the dark side of the moon.

Gaston just shrugs, like, eh, at least there is maple syrup. It is such a sudden wrap-up that you wonder if the filmmakers just ran out of money or film.

A few weird things I noticed:

• The giant wigs that look like they might slip off during the high notes.
• The audio hiss that sounds like a constant gentle rainstorm.
• The absolute lack of chemistry between the main couple.

It is not a masterpiece, obviously. But there is a weird charm to how cheap and fast it all feels.

If you want a quick laugh at some 90-year-old French drama, give it a spin.