Le million (1931)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

René Clair

Writers:

Georges Berr (play)
René Clair (writer)

Release Date:

12 May 1931 (Germany)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy

Plot:

An impoverished painter and his rival engage in a race across Paris to recover a jacket concealing a winning lottery ticket.

Plot Keywords:

Paris France | Based On Play

Cast

Annabella	...	Béatrice
René Lefèvre	...	Michel Bouflette
Jean-Louis Allibert	...	Prosper (as Louis Allibert)
Paul Ollivier	...	Granpère Tulipe
Constantin Siroesco	...	Ambrosio Sopranelli
Raymond Cordy	...	Le chauffeur de taxi
Vanda Gréville	...	Vanda
Odette Talazac	...	La cantatrice
Pedro Elviro	...	Le régisseur (as Pitouto)
Jane Pierson	...	L'épicière
André Michaud	...	Le boucher
Eugène Stuber	...	Le policier
Pierre Alcover	...	Le policier
Armand Bernard	...	Le chef d'orchestre
Gabrielle Rosny

Also Known As:

The Million (International: English title)

Runtime:

USA:83 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Sweden:15

Company:

Films Sonores Tobis

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Timecode (2000)

Brilliant early musical comedy

A wonderful early musical film from Rene Clair, as fun and witty as his silent "The Italian Straw Hat". Using sound in a expressive way and not just for dialogue and effects, Clair influenced early musicals in America (the opera scene from A Night at the Opera is strongly influenced by Le Million, for example). Should (but won't) be seen by all cinephiles, and the DVD from Criterion is exactly as good as you'd expect. There's not a ton of extras, but most DVD extras I've seen are useless fluff, and the Clair interview on disc is one I hadn't ever seen. Get it while it's still around.