Sacha Guitry’s inventive comedy about a man writing his memoirs of a life led both honestly and through deceit stands as an early French masterwork.  Told entirely via voice over, the film utilizes numerous cinematographic and editorial techniques that were quite innovative in 1936.  Film is reversed, people are photographed from multiple angles, and the narrative shifts from the past to the present.  Perhaps most inventive of all, he uses the opening credits to show each of the film’s creators at work or on set as he introduces them via voice over.  While the film’s musings about the many aspects of dishonesty and the ways a weak man can escape them lack depth, the constant rush of cinematic inspiration makes for an exciting experience.  Guitry is largely forgotten in America and his reputation suffered in France due to his perceived collaboration with the Vichy government, but filmmakers such as Orson Welles and Francois Truffaut cited him as an influence.  Cahiers du Cinema selected it as one of the fifty greatest films ever made in 2008 and it is easy to see why they value it so highly.  It is years ahead of its time and offers a compelling alternative to the standard filmmaking conventions of the 1930s.  ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰.

MJM 09-16-2011