They Had to See Paris

First impression is this is just going to be one of those historical curios. Just interesting as an example of an early talkie. After a while however you forget you're watching someone's first attempt at making a talking picture and get sucked into the story. Even more surprising is that the story has a message, not only that but a message which is just as relevant today as in 1929.

Will Rogers might not be well-remembered these days but in the 1920s and 30s, he was one of the most famous people in America. In theatre, silent cinema, newspapers and radio he'd carved out a role as being Mr Rural America. He was the down to earth, plain-speaking philosopher. He told his amusing stories, he made jokes and gave his upbeat, cheerful, optimistic opinion on everything from the state of the today's youth to the state of the union. This was his first talkie and therefore a massive, massive box office hit. The film was created as a vehicle for Mr Rogers but since none of us today have grown up hanging onto his every word in his radio shows, a film like this doesn't quite hit every mark anymore. Being a prestigious production however, it was given a big budget by Fox, the studio which aimed at speaking to and speaking for blue collar, rural America. It had brought top director Frank Borzage on board and used a story by Owen Davis who was renown for creating intelligent and thought-provoking works...and Eddie Cantor's Whoopee.

There is a bit of a "this is our first talkie so forgive us we're not perfect" feel about this but although it's far from perfection, it is a million times better than most of what was made in 1929. Obviously is not one of Borzage's best but eventually you are pulled into the story as you eventually start to relate to the main characters. The story is that old WIZARD OF OZ theme that there's no place like home. Rogers and his Oklahoma family find themselves becoming extremely rich - and yes, that changes his family for the worse. They then decide they need to visit Paris for a bit of culture since his family is starting to become a little ashamed of their roots. There, away from the good ole' USA, they find that everyone is false, scheming, morally loose and after their dollars. (Unlike America, the rest of the world wasn't roaring in the 20s, post-war US high interest loans and tariffs were crippling European economies, making them unable to pay back the huge loans the US banks had given them causing the banks to fail and causing The Great Depression...but I digress...) When this was made in 1929, everything (for America anyway) seemed like never ending summertime! It's a pleasant, optimistic and uplifting film.

Although it's technically lacking, the quality of direction is well below what Frank Borgaze was capable of and some of the acting from the supporting cast is absolutely dreadful, you can still enjoy this as an entertaining movie and not just as something of historical interest. Although his accent is a little hard to understand at times, Will Rogers's performance is natural, likeable and believable. His daughter is played by the impossibly beautiful Margueritte Churchill - she'd already made a talkie before - an excellent film called THE VALIANT with Paul Muni in which she was fantastic. She's not fantastic in this - she isn't really asked to do much other than look pretty - this is a 100% Will Rogers picture.

Frank Borzage's movies often took place in Europa:"Street Angel" was located in Italy,"little man what now?" "three comrades " and "mortal storm" in Germany and the sublime "Seventh Heaven" in France,like this one.There are more examples.

"They had to see Paris" is a very minor work,compared to such masterworks .We are used to greatness when we deal with such a genius as Borzage.However,this little comedy shows that Borzage knew what he was talking about.

The Nouveaux Riches' desire to enter the aristocracy was a subject the Pre-Nouvelle Vague French cinema often treated.To name but two ,there was Gance's "Le Maitre De Forges" and Jean Dreville's "Les Affaires Sont Les Affaires".Borzage's approach was not that different from theirs except that they generally favored melodrama whereas he opted for comedy.

A comedy which is not always really funny :the armor gag is rather ponderous.But the father repeating his son's lines ("I've made up my mind....") is good fun.Borzage displays his love for French folk songs by making the nightclub singer teach the Yankee the perennial "La Madelon" -which was incidentally THE song of the Poilus in WW1-

Of course there are clichés ,but coming from an American director ,it's forgivable!For instance whereas the girl is dreaming of marrying a marquis her brother opts for a bohemian life .

These American people cannot understand why they have to PAY to marry their daughter to an aristocrat! The dowry was something sacred in France in those times ,and it should be given ,not only in the aristocracy.

Coming after "Lucky star" ,"they had to see Paris" is necessarily a let- down.Consider it Borzage's holiday homework.

There were many popular films during the period when this film was made that stressed the warmth and honesty of the average American, that in spite of European culture being championed for its rich social and artistic culture, the ordinary, plain-speaking American was, if not superior, just as good, and small town life, grounded in the traditions of family and decency was just as admirable as anything one might find in the ancient cultures of Europe, of Paris in particular, the city of high life and fine culture. And what plain-speaking American could better represent the best of the small town ethos would be better than man-of-the-people and celebrating philosophical comic, Will Rogers, appearing here in his first American talkie, and in contrast to all his family co-stars, so down-home and folksy, he exemplifies the wise, loveable man of the street worthy of everyone's emulation. There are some incredibly rich early renderings of small-town Oklahoma life outside and inside Will's Garage business, capturing the essence of the high regard given him by his friends and family and local children, and there is a remarkable series of scenes as a parade of cars drive out to see a gusher erupt, as as folks line up at the bottom of the hill, hundreds of gallons rush down to the watchers and engulf their shows in black oil. This film can be slow by today's fast-paced sense of sit-com humor, but there is much to enjoy as the transplanted family attempts to ingratiate themselves with the aristocratic French--except for Will, who always holds out for commonsense and cannot understand why his wife rents him a manservant to help him put on his trousers. The sound quality in the film gets a bit muddled now and then due to age, but there are subtitles, and even without them, the plot moves nicely along. It's lesser Borzage and lesser Rogers, but still fascinating to fans of early sound films.

This film features Will Rogers in his first talkie. It's an OK effort, but the camera is stodgy and most of the characters are two-dimensional. Great exteriors, good oil-strike scene, followed by the usual "Innocents Abroad" situations. Marguerite Churchill is a knock-out as Will's daughter.

It starts out slow going and suffers from the early talkie stodginess. But once Will Rogers and family hit Paris, it picks up and has some genuinely funny moments. Example, Rogers sees his daughter and boyfriend clad in white fencing uniforms and says, "Ya got the Kulu Klux Klan here too?"

The humor is on the Beverly Hillbillies level of the clash between the crude if honest Americans vs. the effete French aristocracy. As another reviewer mentioned, the plot closely follows Dodsworth, which is a much finer film. Still it has its moments, mostly belonging to Will Rogers and Fifi D'Orsay who theater buffs will recall from the original cast of Sondheim's 1970's Follies.

Borzage does good work with the cast , especially Rogers from whom he coaxes some sensitive moments. Worth seeing for especially for Borzage or Rogers fans.