Bout de chou (1935)
Directed by Henry Wulschleger

Film Review

Bach, one of the comedic luminaries of the French musical hall in the 1920s and '30s, is on cracking form in this exuberant farce, one of about a dozen films he made in collaboration with director Henry Wulschleger.  Although his thunder would soon be stolen by rising star Fernandel (with whom he appeared in Le Train de 8 heures 47), Bach was the foremost comic actor in French cinema of the early 1930s, and it is curious that he should now be almost completely forgotten.  His star presence and flair for comedy are very much apparent in Bout de chou, one of his more enjoyable film comedies, in which he is ably supported by some other very capable performers of the period, including Pierre Brasseur (a likeable scamp as opposed to the monstrous grotesque he would become in later years) and Milly Mathis, a perfect casting choice for the role of the battleaxe spouse.

As was commonplace in comedies of this era, the film is livened up with a few sprightly musical numbers (supplied by the prolific composer Vincent Scotto), the most memorable of which is the title number performed by a group of the cutest bunch of infants you can imagine.  Jacky Vilmont, who played the angelic toddler of the film's title, only appeared in three other films - all directed by Jean Epstein, the last being La Femme du bout du monde (1938).  Flitting between bustling Paris and sunny Marseille (the latter looking like a knowing steal from Marcel Pagnol's Provençal films), Bout de chou is an amusing curiosity piece that rewards with its tireless sense of fun.  A superior script from Julien Duvivier and Yves Mirande (both better known for much more serious fare) elevates it above the standard of most mainstream French comedies of this era, and if you haven't met Bach before you are in for a treat.

Film Synopsis

Victor Darnetal, a respectable Marseillaise businessman, could not be happier when he receives a letter from his nephew Georges, an aspiring playwright, inviting him to attend the premiere of his new show in Paris.  Without a moment's delay, Victor sets off for the capital, hoping to enjoy the Parisian high life in the company of his old friend Cagibol.  Victor has barely set foot in Paris before he learns that his nephew is a father who has yet to be apprised of this fact.  Georges is so preoccupied with his new play that his girlfriend Lucie hasn't had the opportunity to break to him the news that he has a baby son, and when Victor is let in on the secret it soon becomes apparent that Georges is romantically involved with another woman - the lead actress in his show, Léone.  When Georges makes up his mind to marry Léone, Victor is outraged and, to make his nephew's son his rightful heir, he takes it upon himself to marry Lucie.  This news is not likely to go down well with Nathalie, the woman that Victor has been living with for the past twenty years, who had hoped that one day he would take her as his bride...