Paris 36 - Session Times And Movie Reviews

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Paris 36

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It's 1936. Blum is in power, workers are striking and the weight of the Depression is hitting hard. While such matters might normally seem unimportant to Germain Pigoil, the stage manager of a small theatre in the Faubourg district, the chaos of the city has had a huge impact on him - his wife has left and taken custody of their son, and unscrupulous local entrepreneur Galapiat has closed his failing theatre. With the help of his friends, idealist Milou and flawed comedian Jacky, Pigoil strikes a deal with Galapait, and sets about returning the theatre to its glory days.

Rated:	[ M ] Infrequent violence
Cinema release:	30 Apr 2009
Director:	Christophe Barratier
Running time:	120 mins
Stars:	Gerard Jugnot, Kad Merad, Clovis Cornillac
Links:	Official Site IMDb Rotten Tomatoes

What we say

'Moulin Rouge!' with poverty, fascists and subtitles?

Paul Stock, MovieFix
3 star rating

Set amid the Great Depression in the year a new left-wing government radically changed French labour laws, "Paris 36" tells a sentimental story of a three friends uniting a community to revive a Parisian music hall.

Fortunately "Paris 36" is more about community spirit than bad community theatre, while bad community theatre is certainly a humorous feature of the film.

Directed by Christophe Barratier, "Paris 36" is full of melodramatic songs and accordion music, as you'd expect in a stylised French film about a theatre.

Hoping to reverse their bad fortune, the three colleagues (alcoholic Pigoil (Gerard Jugnot), socialist Milou (Clovis Cornillac) and Jacky (Kad Merad), the world's worst impressionist) occupy the defunct Chansonia theatre and convince the fascist owner to let them reopen it.

The owner, Galapiat (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu), sees this as an opportunity to improve his image in the community he oppresses. He also sees an opportunity to ingratiate himself to a beautiful young singer, Douce (Nora Arnezeder), who has just arrived seeking to make her fame and fortune on the stage.

The challenge facing the three colleagues is to keep the theatre open amid shocking performances, worse reviews, loss of star performers, financial catastrophe and fascist interference. It's a tall order, but anything seems possible with an accordion playing in the background.

"Paris 36" shares some thematic similarities with "Moulin Rouge!" While the bohemians have been replaced by socialists, and Douce is more ingenue than worldly courtesan, the theatre again relies on a beautiful singer circumventing the intentions of a patron who seeks to indebt as much as endear her to him.

The jolly song and dance numbers about seaside holidays might seem trite and surreal when considered against the backdrop of anti-Semitism and financial destitution (particularly if you lose sight of the subtitles). But periodically the characters are jolted into context and redeem the subplot with their charming performances.

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