Main Cast: Annabella, René Lefèvre, Constantin Stroesco, Louis Allibert, Paul Olivier, Odette Talazac
Release Year: 1931
Country: FR
Run Time: 85 minutes
Plot
René Lefèvre and Annabella are sheer delights, as is everything else in Le Million, René Clair's bright and winning early sound comedy. Clair has his actors sing their dialogue in a blithe and breezy way and utilizes a succession of surrealistic and Dadaesque touches to chronicle this lighthearted extended chase, concerning an artist racing through the streets of Paris (an amazing studio set constructed by Lazare Meerson) in order to retrieve a winning lottery ticket left in the pocket of a discarded jacket. Many of Clair's comic embellishments (like the dubbed-in sound effects of a football game over a portion of the chase) have been used endlessly in comedies ever since, but in Clair's hands, the old jokes still look fresh and magical. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
The whimsical, carefree nature of René Clair's films was never more evident than in his great early sound picture Le Million. The plot is about as relevant as the plot of a Marx Brothers picture. What matters is the chase, and in the great tradition of Sennett and Chaplin, the absurdity of practically every scene makes the film all the more enjoyable. The farcical nature of the material, mixed with the periodic bursts of song, also add to the feeling that we are seeing a world playfully turned upside down. Le Million, like Clair's other films of this period, is as cinematically innovative as it is funny. Unlike most films of the early '30s, he does not just use sound for its musical potential or to literally reproduce the sound of what is seen onscreen; instead, he embraces it for the potential it has add to the flavor of the scene and to complement the visuals. This is especially evident in the classic scene where several characters are running around a room trying to get their hands on a coat, and Clair uses the sounds of a football game to emphasize the comedy of the scene. Also innovative are the sets by Lazare Meerson, which create a stylistic reproduction of a French city. Even though many of the interiors lack much in the way of detail, their shape and minimalism are as effective and stunning as the most elaborate Hollywood sets. Other highlights of the film include Michel's efforts to evade the various merchants to whom he owes money, Michel and Beatrice making up while hiding on the opera stage, Michel and Prosper battling for control of the jacket in the middle of an opera performance, and Beatrice's encounter with Grandpa Tulip. The entire cast is a joy, including the various uncredited supporting performers who populate the film. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
Le Million is a 1931musical / comedy film directed by René Clair. The story was adapted by Clair from a play by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillemand.
A debt-ridden artist has just won a lottery worth a million Dutch florins, but lost the ticket in a jacket. His rival and him race to retrace the jacket which had gone to a brigand nicknamed "Grandpa Tulip" and then subsequently a tenor singing La Bohème at the opera theater that night.
Entr'acte (1924) •Paris qui dort (1924, a/k/a The Crazy Ray) •La Tour (1928) •Forever and a Day (1943, segment "1897") •La Française et l'amour (1960, segment "Le Mariage") •Les Quatre vérités (1962, segment "Les Deux Pigeons")
