Vous n’avez rien à déclarer? (1937)

Vous n’avez rien à déclarer? is a French film comedy first released in 1937, directed by Léo Joannon.  The film stars Raimu, Sylvia Bataille, Pierre Brasseur, Pauline Carton and André Alerme.  It has also been released under the title: Confessions of a Newlywed.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


The celebrated entomologist Monsieur Papillot couldn’t be happier when his daughter Paulette marries his shy assistant, Edmond.  His wife is less keen on the union and intends to exploit any occasion which may lead to a divorce.  Her wish is that Paulette will marry Coco La Baule, the son of her own secret lover.  Such an opportunity arrives when the newly weds return early from their honeymoon.  Edmond tells his stepfather the bad news.  Whilst making love to Paulette on the train, he was interrupted by a customs inspector.  Since then, every time he approaches his wife with amorous intent, his head is filled with the words “Have you anything to declare?”  Realising that his daughter’s marriage is in jeopardy, Papillot consults a psychologist and then decides to seek help from the women of a dubious nightclub…

This typical mid-1930s French farce would most probably have been lost in the mists of time if it were not for the fact that it features some very prestigious actors of the period.   Raimu, a greatly respected actor of stage and screen with a remarkable talent for both comedy and drama, is on fine form, handling the jokes – both visual and scripted dialogue – with great panache.   His co-star is a remarkably young and handsome Pierre Brasseur, an actor who would go on to be one of the most significant players in French cinema.   The film was based on a popular stage comedy and, although the muddled plot leaves an awful lot to be desired, it does have great entertainment value, thanks to some enthusiastic (indeed eccentric) performances and an abundance of well-realised comic situations.

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