This could easily be a mere product of its time, an adaptation of a successful risqué comic play as there are millions of examples but thanks to director Jean Choux, "Un Chien qui rapporte" is better than just that. First thanks, as DB Dumonteil puts it quite rightly in his comment, to the presence of Arletty in her first leading role. Tall, at ease with her body and witty, she brings a modern cool touch to her character. And also because Jean Choux is not content to film the play flatly like the majority of his colleagues at that time. He experiments throughout the film, trying his hand at strange angles, using slow motion or else paying homage to the silent era with the concierge's dream, a wonderful sequence which has nothing to do with filmed theater. His editing is also striking and the sound effects (often tied with the image editing) are inventive. Remember this was 1931 and how difficult it was to shoot a picture at the time because of the constraints of mikes, enormous spotlights and big cameras. Even if this film is no masterpiece (the subject is a bit light), Jean Choux is not a lazy director. His passion for cinema shows through and "Un chien qui rapporte deserves better than a 3.3 out of ten given by viewers who are persuaded his ridiculous-sounding name (Choux means "cabbage" in French) means he is hopeless.
Review of Un chien qui rapporte
