Phi-Phi is arguably the best and undoubtedly most surprisingly imaginative and well-known work of a French filmmaker Georges Pallu. He directed it under the fictitious name of Dimitri Fexas, an alias that he probably assumed to accentuate the Greek mood of the film. It's quite an unusual exception among director's other works, which always tended to have a religious, mainly Catholic thematic.
It's based on an operetta by Andre Willementz and Felix Solar, which I've never seen so it's impossible for me to compare the two. The film counts with the presence of one of the most popular French comic actors at the time - Andre Deed, who incarnates Pireu, one of the many peculiar characters to grace the screen in this no less peculiar film which might be called a worthy predecessor to the lunatic comedies of Mel Brooks and even Zucker brothers.
The action of the film takes place in an ancient Greece where were follow mostly amorous adventures of the film's main hero - Phidius, more intimately known as Phi-Phi, who happens to be one of the most renowned sculptors in Athens. He is helped by even more odd character - Pireu, who always tends to get into trouble, mainly because of his obsession with rarely lucky betting on the horse races and his master's beautiful women-models. The film promptly turns into a screwball comedy when a Greek prince Ardimedon falls in love with Phi-Phi's wife and tries to work as a model posing for his new sculpture in quite a pleasant and most desirable company with the sculptor's wife. Meanwhile Phi-Phi's servant Pireu gives away all the statues from the sculptors shop to pay his debts earned by the unsuccessful betting.
Besides the screwed relationships' gags the viewer might be brought to laugh by numerous use of completely out-of-time items, such as a hilarious version of an Ancient Greek telephone, a phonograph, and even a sort of motorcycled chariot.
Overall Phi-Phi is quite an enjoyable and easy-to-watch early silent version of lunatic comedy worth to take a look at. 7/10
