A.K.A.: The Million
Country: France
Genre(s): Comedy /
Musical
Director: Rene
Clair
Cast: Rene Lefevre
/ Annabella / Jean-Louis Allibert
Plot
Hounded by creditors,
a poor artist wins the lottery, the ticket to which is in his jacket
pocket. Great news, until he finds out
that his jealous girlfriend has given his jacket away, an act that sets in
motion a wild hunt across Paris.
Thoughts
Though “Le Million”
may not illicit full-on belly laughs, the film retains an irresistible charm
and remains highly entertaining more than 80 years after its release. An early sound film shot and set in France,
doubtless much of the film’s humor is either lost in translation or has
dissipated with the changing of public tastes.
Prat falls and pompous buffoonery have not aged well. Nonetheless, the story and pacing, combined with
some terrific performances still provide constant amusement, even for today’s
viewer.
“Le Million” still
displays the hallmarks of the silent film era: the styles of dress and makeup,
frequent chase scenes, exaggerated physical gestures by the actors. Yet, instead of making “Le Million” seem
dated, these elements bring a certain elegance to the film. There are almost as many scenes without
dialogue as there are with dialogue, allowing the talents of the actors and
director Rene Clair for physical comedy to shine. Rene Lefevre in particular is fantastic,
whether talking or not, as the leading man Michel. When I did chuckle, it was always because of
Lefevre’s performance.
Most Memorable Scene
***spoiler alert***
There is a
magnificent scene at the opera house, one of the places the Michel and many
others have gone to try and track down the missing jacket. Lefevre and the lovely Annabella, who plays
his love interest, wind up hiding behind some set pieces on stage during a
performance. Forced to wait out the love
song duet being performed, the pair reconcile.
As they do so, the lyrics of the song play out the feelings of the
lovers. Using no dialogue of their own, Lefevre
and Annabella are both terrific here and it is this scene which takes the movie
from amusing musical to absolute classic.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
