Between 1925 and 1945 Jean Choux directed some 27 films, an average of just over one per year. To the best of my knowledge these were all strictly domestic which is a great pity because he displays an inventive use of both camera and sound in this entry which dates from 1931 when, instead of being content to merely 'film' a stage play he opted to experiment with unusual (for the time) camera angles and optical trickery. This was only Arletty's second film and her first in a leading role and watching her work it is clear that she is on the verge of stardom. Choux surrounds her with some fine actors including two, Paulette Dubost and Rene Lefevre, who would also go on to enjoy distinguished careers (indeed, Dubost is still going strong at 97 and has almost 200 films to her credit) in French cinema, Lefevre as both writer (Sous le ciel de Paris) and actor. The story - a guy has a trained dog which he rents to gold-digging girls on a daily basis; the girl slips her phone number/address into the dog's collar and the dog then jumps into high-priced cars with only one (presumably loaded) occupant and refuses to leave. The driver finds the address, calls on the girl et voila! - shows that it's not only Hollywood that was creative in the 'meet-cute' department. Ultimately it's just fluff, of course, but it's French fluff so it comes complete with that old je ne sais quoi. Definitely worth seeing.
Review of Un chien qui rapporte
