Le Million (1931) - film review

A penniless artist, Michel, is pursued by creditors when he discovers he has won the million florin lottery.  He realises that he left the winning lottery ticket in his jacket, which he gave to his girlfriend, Béatrice, to repair.   However, Béatrice, upset when she saw Michel with another woman, gave the jacket away.  What ensues then is a madcap chase by Michel and his friends to recover the missing jacket – and the million florin prize.

Rated as René Clair’s comic masterpiece, the original template for the Hollywood musicals, and one of the best of the early sound films, Le Million is by any account an astonishing piece of cinema that lives up to its reputation.  Even seventy years on, the film is bursting with energy and freshness and has a great deal to entertain a modern cinema audience.

Clair’s greatest achievement was in bridging the gulf between silent and sound cinema.  Unlike many of his contemporaries, he seized the opportunities that the new technology offered and exploited these with a staggering artistic brilliance.  Le Million illustrates perhaps more than any of Clair’s films how sound can be used to complement and enhance visual imagery without detracting from it.

Le Million is the film musical comedy in its purest form.  The visual farce is accompanied by some engaging, uplifting songs, a perfect union which makes dialogue almost superfluous – and sensibly Clair does use raw dialogue very sparingly.  The result is a dreamlike fantasy, in keeping with Clair’s surrealist sympathies.

This is a sublime jewel of early French cinema.  On its initial release in 1931, it was both popular with the public and well received by the critics.  Today, it is regarded as a monument of French cinema.

© James Travers 2000

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