Théodore et Cie (1933)
Directed by Pierre Colombier

Film Review

Théodore et Cie is a routine 1930s French comedy, adapted from a stage play by Paul Armont and Nicolas Nancey, which is only just salvaged by the combined comedic talents of Albert Préjean and Raimu.  Having only recently been elevated to stardom, both actors could afford to squander their efforts on middling crowd-pleasers such as this before more worthy work came their way later in the decade.  The plot falls back on the hackneyed device of mistaken identity, which is carried to ludicrous extremes in a desperate attempt to make it funny (which it isn't).  The humour lies elsewhere - mainly in Raimu's disguises, which become increasingly fantastic as the film progresses.  One minute Raimu is a regency factotum, the next he is a fireman, and then (incredibly) dragged up to become a dead-ringer for Françoise Rosay in her seventies.  The charade ends with Raimu blacked up with ping-pong ball eyes - he was presumably intended to be an African prince but more likely resembles something from a distant galaxy.  Without this (frankly weird) sideshow Théodore et Cie would be a pretty dull comedic offering, with repetitive gags spinning out a predictable plot for far longer than it can justify.  Préjean shows no real aptitude for comedy but, thankfully, he is cast as the straight man to someone who can extract the laughs.  Raimu was rarely as funny as he is here, even if his idea of comedy has as much calculated finesse as a stampede of diarrhoetic elephants.

Film Synopsis

Théodore, is the nephew of a rich cheese merchant, but rather than follow an honest career in his uncle Chénerol's business, he prefers to earn his living by enacting various scams with his colleague Clodomir.  When Chénerol discovers that his wife Gaby has been carrying on an affair with another man Théodore sees an opportunity to make some easy money.  To save her marriage, Gaby agrees to pose as a starlet and it is in this guise that she meets her husband, first at a 'borrowed' apartment, then in a theatre dressing room.  Chénerol is so taken in by this deception that he falls madly in love with his wife and decides to make her his mistress!