| a moving slapstick talkie |
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| written by BTemchine |
November 25, 2005 - 11:21 AM PST |
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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A Nous La Liberte is the name of a song the two main characters sing throughout the movie, which is an odd, and affecting, mix of slapstick, capitalist critique and sentimentality. Emile and Louis are prison buddies, but their escape plan goes awry and, by an act of generosity from Louis, only Emile gets away. The scenes within the prison of forced labor, lousy food, mechanistic and inhuman conditions, are echoed in later scenes of factory life. As Emile becomes more succesful, he becomes more a warden of his own prison. Louis' re-appearance redeems Emile and frees him again, this time from the slavery of the factory.
Emile and Louis exhibit that very strange asexuality of early comic stars. I don't know if where that tradition comes from, but it feels like the movie is a love story to childish exuberance. But unlike the anarchic Keystone Kops movies, it feels like a grown-up was behind the camera the whole time. The friendship between Emile and Louis is truly touching. The extended slapstick scenes (businessmen chasing money in the wind etc.) are ridiculous, and not really in a good way. More pointless really.
The picture clarity is well up to Criterion Collection standards. Very memorable. |
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