On purge bébé (1931) - film review

Monsieur Follavoine, inventor of the world’s first unbreakable chamberpot, invites a senior civil servant, Monsieur Chouilloux, to his house to sign a contract to sell his invention to the army.  At the same time, his wife, Julie Follavoine, is trying in vain to purge their young son, Toto.  In the ensuing confusion, Follavoine’s chamberpots prove not to be as indestructible as he claims and Toto is not the only one who is in for some unpleasant medicine...

Jean Renoir’s most outrageous comedy, based on a stage play by Georges Feydeau, provides ample material for its comic stars to prove their worth.   Marguerite Pierry, Jacques Louvigny and Michel Simon each provide a comic performance that surpasses genius, whilst a then comparatively unknown actor Fernandel unleashes his talent on an unsuspecting world.  Although not as noteworthy as Renoir’s later films of the same decade, On purge bébé is nonetheless a competently realised comic farce, showing the director at his most joyously unrestrained.  What links this film to Renoir’s greater films is its carefree mockery of Bourgeois respectability, and seldom does the French Bourgeoisie come in for more mockery than in this hilariously funny film, all in the worst possible taste.

© James Travers 2002

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