Vive la classe: Fernandel and the messy charm of school life

Is this thing worth your time?

Honestly, only if you’re a die-hard fan of French cinema from the 30s or you just really need to see Fernandel looking exasperated for ninety minutes. If you’re looking for a tight, modern comedy, keep walking. You’ll probably hate it if you have zero patience for old-school stagey acting or if you get annoyed by plots that feel like they’re made of loose paper scraps.

But for the rest of us? It’s got a weird, dusty kind of charm. It feels like finding an old polaroid in an attic—faded, slightly out of focus, but kind of nice to hold onto for a bit.

The Classroom Vibe

Fernandel is, as always, the center of the universe here. There’s a specific scene where he’s trying to command a room of students, and you can just see his face twitching with that classic mix of panic and fake authority. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Clodhopper, though maybe a bit less desperate.

The pacing is all over the place. One minute we’re deep in some schoolroom drama, and the next we’re just watching people walk through hallways for way too long. It’s not smooth. But honestly, I think I liked that it wasn't polished. It feels like the movie was just happy to exist.

• The sound mixing is a bit of a disaster.
• Some of the side characters feel like they wandered in from a different movie entirely.
• There is a distinct lack of actual teaching going on, which is hilarious.

Odd Observations

There’s this one guy in the back of the class who never seems to be doing any work. I spent like ten minutes just watching him try to hide a comic book or something. It’s completely irrelevant to the plot, but that’s the best part, right? It’s the little, pointless human moments that make these old films stick.

It’s not as sharp as some of the other stuff from the era. It doesn't have the same grit you might find in Der Meineidbauer, but it’s not trying to be that, either. It’s just a school movie. It’s fine.

Also, the lighting in the third act gets super weird. It’s like they suddenly decided to use one giant lamp and hope for the best. It’s charmingly incompetent. 🏫

Don't look for a deep message about the French education system. You won't find one. You’ll just find Fernandel, some shouting, and a bunch of kids who probably should have been expelled hours ago. And that’s enough for a rainy Tuesday.