53. Le Million ( The Million) (1931)

Directed By Rene Clair

Synopsis

Man wins lottery! Ticket is in jacket, jacket is given away! Madcap chase! Hilarity ensues! All's well... etc.

Review

Ok, this film was actually made before A Nous La Liberte, but the stupid book puts it after and I am slavishly following it. It is from the same year anyway. I have talked at length of how the Russians were such masters of image and how Murnau as well. But with Rene Clair comes a master of sound!

Rene's use of sound is nothing if not original, and he is trying to avoid the drop in artistic innovation brought about by the talkie, where the "camera became lazy" because dialog solved everything. He is quite successful in that, the whole film is built around sound, but without ever losing good camera movement and excellent directing. The visual gags are very much there and it is a pretty funny film, but when he uses sound he does it with a purpose, for example near the end there is a kind of rugby game with the jacket and Clair actually uses real sound footage of a game. Or earlier while the two main characters hide behind an opera scenery the song being sung reflects their situation, and they are perfectly aware of that, stopping to listen. Even their own conscioussness sings to characters.

In the end it is not as effective a film as A Nous La Liberte, but it is a very entertaining hour and 20 minutes. See it.

Buy it at Amazon UK or US.

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

A treat for you, Entr'acte by Rene Clair, a silent film with the appearence of Eric Satie, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray and Francis Picabia. Music By Eric Satie: