Heureux anniversaire

Happy Anniversary (1962)

*** (out of 4)

This French film won the Best Live Action Short Oscar and it's easy to see why so many people enjoyed it as it's a throwback to the days of Buster Keaton. In the film, a wife is at home getting dinner ready so that she can celebrate her anniversary with the husband. The husband is out in town getting stuff for the anniversary but falls into one problems after another as he tries to make his way home. While I didn't love this film, there's still no question that it's extremely well-made and features a fun tone created by directors Jean-Claude Carriere and Pierre Etaix. The two men manage to make this film flow as smooth as silk and I thought it was this laid back nature that was so memorable. There are certainly some very funny moments but I think the best stuff doesn't even deal with the husband and wife. The highlight to me was the stuff dealing with the kind man who moves his car, can't find a parking spot and then spends the rest of the film getting into as much trouble as the husband. The work of Keaton was obviously an influence here as were the films of Tati.