A true film maudit! Rene Clair's comedy was a catastrophic bomb in Europe: neither the left nor right were amused, and Clair didn't make another film in France until 1947. Today the French show more appreciation and have released "Le dernier milliardaire" on an excellent all-region Blu-Ray with English subtitles.
The film is a worthy addition to that precious group of 1930s Ruritanian dictator comedies: "Cracked Nuts," "Million Dollar Legs," and of course "Duck Soup." Many have claimed Clair was influenced by the latter but the release dates of LDM and DS were only seven months apart, and Clair said his primary influence was "Million Dollar Legs."
Nevertheless, LDM and Duck Soup share the common premise of a wealthy outsider taking over the government of a mismanaged Ruritania with zany consequences. But the still-relevant message of LDM is that you can't rely on the super-rich to save your the country, especially when they've been invited by the feckless monarchy.
Clair's approach to this premise is different from the comedic shotgun assault of the Marx Brothers: this gives the film its fascination and has wrong-footed many reviewers. His comedic approach is light and works through layering: Clair is a master of the slowly amplified recurring gag, as seen in the film's use of newsreels, neckties, and the national anthem of Casinario. The comedic highlights are the barter scenes and the Dadaist customs imposed by the unhinged dictator.
But if the feel and pace of the film differs greatly from the Marx Brothers, it shares a thematic goal: giving the raspberry to all forms of dignity and pomp, whether aristocratic or plutocratic.
Clair faulted LDS for not having any sympathetic characters, but those aren't required in an absurdist farce. The sympathetic young lovers are relegated to the sidelines and the ending gives the characters exactly what they deserve. If only "Le dernier milliardaire" got the same from posterity.
The film is a worthy addition to that precious group of 1930s Ruritanian dictator comedies: "Cracked Nuts," "Million Dollar Legs," and of course "Duck Soup." Many have claimed Clair was influenced by the latter but the release dates of LDM and DS were only seven months apart, and Clair said his primary influence was "Million Dollar Legs."
Nevertheless, LDM and Duck Soup share the common premise of a wealthy outsider taking over the government of a mismanaged Ruritania with zany consequences. But the still-relevant message of LDM is that you can't rely on the super-rich to save your the country, especially when they've been invited by the feckless monarchy.
Clair's approach to this premise is different from the comedic shotgun assault of the Marx Brothers: this gives the film its fascination and has wrong-footed many reviewers. His comedic approach is light and works through layering: Clair is a master of the slowly amplified recurring gag, as seen in the film's use of newsreels, neckties, and the national anthem of Casinario. The comedic highlights are the barter scenes and the Dadaist customs imposed by the unhinged dictator.
But if the feel and pace of the film differs greatly from the Marx Brothers, it shares a thematic goal: giving the raspberry to all forms of dignity and pomp, whether aristocratic or plutocratic.
Clair faulted LDS for not having any sympathetic characters, but those aren't required in an absurdist farce. The sympathetic young lovers are relegated to the sidelines and the ending gives the characters exactly what they deserve. If only "Le dernier milliardaire" got the same from posterity.