An overwhelming avalanche of dialogue that, no matter how "sparkling", turns what should have been chiffon into cement. A French telefoni bianchi picture.
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The French did things so differently. It is literally impossible to imagine this film being made in Hollywood or Britain in the 1930s. Everyone is shagging around, being unfaithful, betraying their friends, making a mockery of marriage. There is even a suicide attempt thrown into the mix - and I thought The Apartment was the first comedy to feature someone trying to kill themselves over love.
It is almost certainly a play transposed to the screen since everything takes place…
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Guitry is in his element, perfectly structured, so every scene naturally falls into place until its conclusion. Very amusing, the romantic roundabout erasing the distance between genuine longing and cynical smirk. Guitry himself is lots of fun, and his feel for editing is very good.
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Sacha Guitry was clearly in love with the dialogue he wrote, but I wish he would have relied a bit more on the charm of his cast instead (especially the irresistible Georges Grey who is donning an American accent as Hollywood star Carl Erickson), because this feels a tad word-heavy for a film in which every character wants to have sex with every other character.
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Fleeting couples and subsequent rearrangements. The uncertainty in human feelings and relations. Spectacular group of main actors delivering with perfect dramaturgical modulation an absurdly inspired script, while Guitry’s formal elegance permits each scene flow to take their own time dramatically while establishing a strong sense of humor.
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strangely made for a perfect double feature with In the Shadow of Women. also kinda perfect valentine's day film....
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there is not a single normal human being in this film
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Urge cotejar o desempenho do Guitry em cada oportunidade, nestes filmes dos anos 30, de ostentar elogios de contracampo, de iluminação, de texto, de devoção sempre prodigiosa aos olhos da Delubac.
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Eu encontrava, aliás, o equivalente na adoração por uma atriz, esta cultivada até a mania: foi o nome de Gaby Morlay que me intrigou primeiro, uma tarde em que eu via televisão e que minha mãe tinha elucidado para mim essas sílabas bizarras… Eu só me lembro da cena final do filme que passava naquele dia: aquela em que ela visitava Fernandel, de volta à sua Provence natal, e na qual eu a descobria como um ícone absoluto de gentileza…
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This is a rather wordy Guitry picture all about infidelity and how we explain it to ourselves and others, as told through a comedy battle of the sexes story. On the surface it's not especially unique, but once things get going and there are discussions openly talking about sleeping around and other indiscretions, I'm reminded why I prefer foreign films of this era to American ones. The subtlety is still present to a certain degree, but not cranked up to…
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It’s a Sacha Guitry, need I say more? Sparkling dialogue overflows from first frame in this love quadrangle. Sacha seeks solace with fellow journo after his girl falls for visiting Hollywood star. It’s not really much more than that. But man, it’s such fun to watch unfold. I love those uniquely French things like debating whether one is a cuckold, lamenting the foolishness of one’s fidelity, lining up a mistress before the marriage. Guitry’s opening credits always so cute.
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A fancy comedy about Sacha Guitry’s relationship getting turned upside down when his girlfriend meets and falls for a Hollywood movie star. This is the first Guitry film I’ve seen that suffers because of his theatrical roots. The premise could be a classic farce — small cast, contained setting, many personal misunderstandings — but it plays out as just pages and pages and pages of conversation, much of it statically directed. There are plenty of witty lines buried within, and there’s still a certain elegance to Guitry’s visual style, but it’s just not that engaging.
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