Review of Le Million (1931) by David K — 08 Aug 2009

Rene' Clair is notorious for denouncing the advent of sound on cinema. With "Le Million," one of his talkies, he proved that sound can be vital to the narration of a story. This can include drama, humor, or anything in between.

Okay, describing "Le Million" this way may be a little generous, but the film did influence the popular screwball comedies from Hollywood in the mid to late 1930's. It also had an influence on the American musical that would help define the Western film industry for twenty years.

The truth is, "Le Million" was tremendously influential on sound cinema, but it is my opinion that this "type" of film has been done better. The musicals have been catchier, the jokes have been funnier, and the "zany" plot twists have been more, well, zany. But it would be wrong for me to ignore the film's importance on the film world. For that, "Le Million" is worth a watch. However, don't be surprised if you've seen something similar and better before because you probably have.