La Fine combine (1931) - film review

Monsieur Topinois is getting ready to spend an afternoon with his mistress, a cabaret dancer named Mado.  Unfortunately, he needs to come up with a convincing excuse for his wife.  His valet Jospeh has the answer.  Topinois will pretend to go to the horse races to try out his seemingly foolproof method for betting.  Madame Topinois naturally believes her husband and settles down to listen to the horse race results on the radio.  By spending an afternoon of illicit naughtiness in Mado’s boudoir, Topinois gambles that there is no way he could win at the races using Joseph’s idea. Unfortunately for him, the gamble doesn’t pay off...

Popular comic actor Fernandel has an early film role in this low budget popular comedy, a short film made in the early days of sound.  Despite the film’s poor production values and stereotypical characterisation, the script plays to Fernandel’s strengths as a comic performer and the film is, if not flawless, rather entertaining.   Edwige Feuillère makes a very early film appearance, here credited under her original stage name, Cora Lynn.

© James Travers 2005

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