Review of Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) by Ben L — 18 Sep 2016

This was a surprisingly funny movie about a British Earl who loses his valet (named Ruggles) in a game of poker to a couple from America. The wife is very excited because she thinks the prim and proper Ruggles will make a more sophisticated gentleman out of her hick husband.

It is so funny watching how Ruggles' exceeding politeness leads him to be influenced more by the people of Red Gap rather than him influencing them. The performance from Charles Laughton was great, and there's one scene where he recites the Gettysburg Address that was surprisingly moving.

The comedy was strong throughout the film. A lot of the laughs were character driven, but there were also a few physical gags that I thought played almost like they were pulled straight from a silent film.

The plot takes a number of twists and turns, some of them were exactly what you'd expect from a film of this type, but others actually surprised me a little. The conclusion was so satisfying, that I was smiling from ear to ear.

It's not a complex or deep film, and it doesn't have much to say that is all that profound or original, however I enjoyed it more than a lot of deeper more meaningful films. Ruggles of Red Gap is the kind of film that I will gladly watch again, and might suggest to others.