Innocents of Paris

For Maurice Chevalier fans this, his first talkie, was a joy to discover. He actually enters from behind a curtain out of character to introduce himself, explain his outrageous accent and set up the plot. The New York Times said, `He is the whole show, and when he is off screen the suspense consists of waiting until he reappears, either to sing or talk in his charming manner.' The plot concerns a junk dealer, or as he prefers, Antiquer, who saves a young boy (David Duran) from drowning late one night. Chevalier takes the child to the childhood home of his mother, who has just committed suicide, only to be turned out by her cruel father (Russell Simpson). The boy's pretty aunt Louise (as in `Every little breeze…) (Sylvia Beecher), is sympathetic, but dares not cross her father. Maurice decides to raise the orphan himself. Later he sings at the local Flea Market, is discovered by a theatre manager and more importantly, the theatre owner's wife. When he has to choose between success or love… well, what would you do? This is a star making performance by a true original. His obvious love of life is a breath of fresh air. And this film contains more of his music hall act than any of his others including his eccentric dancing style and sexy posturing paid tribute to in Love Me Tonight. I saw this film in March of 2004 at the CINEFEST film festival in Syracuse, NY. Thank god for film festivals like this one that make rare films like this available and the folks who provide comments to IMDB for others to share. Please support the IMDB and early film festivals!

Early talkies often have remnants of stage performances. Here we have an introduction by Chevalier warming the crowd up, and it immediately endears him to us. He is wonderfully charming and his effervescent personality makes the audience eager to watch this film.

He plays Maurice, a street peddler who saves a young boy Jo-Jo (David Durand) from drowning at the hands of his desperate mother. He tries to reunite the boy with his real family, which turned his mother out when she eloped with his father years ago against her father's wishes. He won't have Jo-Jo, so Maurice takes him home, but not before he catches sight of the boy's aunt Louise (Sylvia Beecher). The two begin courting against her father's wishes, and when he has the chance to make it big on the stage to prove his worth, he jumps at it.

Durand is impressive, alternately cute, funny and heartbreaking. I never understood Chevalier's popularity until I saw this film, and although I'd heard it before, now I can't get "Louise" out of my head.

This film was screened at Capitolfest in 2017.

Innocents of Paris was a delight with Maurice Chevalier in his first talking film and his first in English. He comes on stage at first and explains that he is doing this film in English because of the trouble that he has caused before when he has spoken French to an American girl. He asked her if a guy she waved at was her father and in reply she kissed him. Phonetically what he said sounded in English to be "Come on and kiss your papa"!".

What follows is a rather predictable melodrama with Chevalier as a junk man who rescues a boy from the Seine, but cannot manage to rescue his mother. A suicide note she left behind tells her father that he was right about the man she married, that he deserted them, and suicide was the only way out. When Chevalier delivers the note and the boy to the grandfather's home he discovers the boy and his interest in his other daughter Louise are unwanted because he is "just a junkman". Maurice takes the boy home with him and decides to pursue a career as a singer to win the approval of Louise's father.

Of course he is a success, and of course he attracts the interest of the wife of the owner of the bistro in which he works. Louise misunderstands that the attraction is not reciprocated. Louise's father misunderstands Maurice's intentions and plans to shoot him. Paramount can't let a Maurice Chevalier film end in tragedy! So how does this all work out? Watch and find out. And while you are watching and finding out, see just how charming and likable Maurice Chevalier's screen presence was. He sings quite a few songs in the film, but his humor, smile, and charm serve him well beyond the musical acts. I'd really recommend this one.