Film Review
Jean Gabin may have lent his name to a few nondescript silent films in
the late 1920s but his screen career proper began with this 'filmed
operetta', one of the first sound films to be made in France. By
this time, the 26-year-old Gabin had become one of the biggest stars of
the French music hall, and having featured in several popular stage
operettas it is fitting that his first film should be in the same
milieu, capitalising on Gabin's penchant for song and comedy.
Here, Gabin is partnered with his first wife, Gaby Bassett, whom he had
only recently divorced. Another notable musical hall artiste of
the time, Jean Sablon, also appears, in a supporting role.
The severe limitations that early sound recording equipment imposed on
filmmakers in the early 1930s are evident throughout
Chacun sa chance, to the extent
that it resembles exactly what it claims to be, 'une opérette
filmée'. There are one or two interesting tracking shots
but for the most part the camera is rigidly static and much of the film
plays as a modest theatrical production, complete with a wordy (and
pointless) introduction and seemingly interminable overture in which
the camera is stuck in the orchestra pit. With one notable
exception (a pleasing duet sung by Gabin and Bassett) the musical
numbers are pretty dire and do little to enhance the trite and
repetitive storyline which falls back on the old vaudevillian device of
a case of mistaken identity.
Had Jean Gabin's name not been in the credits,
Chacun sa chance would most
probably have been lost in the mists of time, deservedly so.
Gabin is far from being the great dramatic actor that he would become
later in the decade but his presence lights up an another grimly
lacklustre production. With Gabin waiting in the wings, it's a
shame that so much of the film's runtime is wasted on tediously unfunny
comic exchanges involving far less talented performers (pity poor
André Urban and Hubert Daix, who have to muddle their way
through some of the worst lines in any film). As musical comedies
go,
Chacun sa chance is
towards the lower end of the quality spectrum, but with one of French
cinema's most iconic actors making his debut this creaking piece of
1930s ephemera could hardly escape snatching its unworthy place in
posterity. Before he began his association with
director Julien Duvivier on
Maria Chapdelaine (1934),
Gabin's talents would be wasted on similar low-grade fare, including
Paris-Beguin (1931)
and
Tout ça ne vaut pas l'amour (1931).
© James Travers 2014
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Marcel Grivot may be a modest sales assistant in one of Paris's more
exclusive department stores but he dreams of living the high
life. One evening, he gets the chance to do just that.
Borrowing evening dress from a display stand, he goes out for a night
on the town and is mistaken for the wealthy Baron de Monteuil.
After a visit to the theatre he meets a dazzling young socialite,
Simone, and falls in love with her, not knowing that she is as poor as
he is and earns her living by selling chocolate at the theatre.
The evening ends with Marcel inviting Simone back to the Baron's
mansion. Fortunately, when the real Baron shows up Marcel has
information that will not only extricate him from an awkward situation
but will also enhance his future career prospects...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.