The Story of a Cheat

This is a rather interesting and originally told movie. It focuses on the life of a charming scoundrel. It doesn't sound that interesting or original but its originality also really is more in the way the movie is being told. It's shot with actual little dialog on it and instead features a witty voice-over (by director/writer/main actor Sacha Guitry himself), who tells the story in an amusing way with a pleasant pace.

The movie not just begins with an introduction of the main characters but also that of some of the crew members who were involved with this movie. This already sorts of sets the tone for the rest of the movie. It's a very original and unique little movie, that due to its style and atmosphere also definitely as an highly entertaining one to watch. I wouldn't exactly call the style surrealistic and absurdism is perhaps a better word to describe the movie its style and pleasant, often subtle, comedy.

Its style always keeps the movie going and also makes this one of the faster paced movies from the '30's. It's also a reason why the movie is actually quite short, with its about 80 minutes of running time. Even though the movie basically covers the entire life span of a person, it's over before you know it.

You'll surely have a good time watching this very pleasant and highly original little film.

10/10

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Cahiers du Cinema classed this as one of '100 most important films' which is high praise indeed. It is years ahead of its time and has aged like a good wine. It is the first film to use a voice-over narration and Sacha Guitry has introduced his actors and technicians on camera thereby dispensing with traditional credits. This respect for and appreciation of the talents at his disposal is evident in his subsequent films. Guitry has adapted this from his own novel and within its eighty minute length is inventive, absorbing and entertaining enough to be rightly considered one of his best films. Marguerite Moreno is great as the Countess, there is the glorious voice of chanteuse Frehel and a brief appearance by Roger Duchesne as an anarchist. He went off the radar after the War amid 'allegations' of collaboration but resurfaced in 'Bob le Flambeur'. The art direction by Henri Menessier is superlative. Guitry was essentially a man of the theatre and his films have been described as 'anti-cinematic'. There is some truth in this and the staginess, verbosity and over indulgence of his later films are inclined to test ones patience but there are also moments of genius. He was an artiste whose devotion to his craft cannot be overestimated.

Sacha Guitry was the greatest orator in movie history. Even greater than Orson Welles, in my estimation. But that does not make him the greatest filmmaker. He had real trouble in SHOWING the audience what was going on, rather than telling them. I think Story of a Cheat is the most successful of his films because he found a way of creating action--an example being the jewel thief who comes up with a novel way of stealing gems from unwitting marks. The two scenes with Marguerite Moreno in the cafe are wonderfully done, with great dialog. Otherwise the story is told through narrated flashbacks.

This was such an enjoyable experience and a surprise considering its vintage of 1936. Mainly told via narration it never loses its charm and humour as the elderly cheat from the film's title writes his memoirs, and the audience is shown the eventful moments in flashback. The Director also was writing and staring in the film, as the main character in his later years, The young actor playing the tricheur as a young boy of 12 years was the most adorable version of the character, for me, followed by the older man. This is a film you have to see if you can, either via BluRay or DVD or via the Criterion Channel streaming service.

I've long wanted to see this French classic, and now Criterion has finally given me the chance via their Eclipse label (the box set also includes three later Guitry films, too). I have to say, I was a little disappointed after hearing it mentioned so much as one of the defining films of the era. But it's good. It's the film's central, original technique that gives the film it's fame, I think, but also what ultimately undermines it. The whole story is told from the point of view of a writer (played by Guitry himself) who is writing his autobiography at a café. Most of the film is told in flashbacks, with the gimmick that the author narrates every second of those flashbacks. Any dialogue that happens comes from the lips of Guitry, whether it be his character speaking or another. It's cute - at first. But narration is very difficult to pull off in films. It just so rarely feels necessary, since, unlike in a book, the audience can always see what is happening. A lot of film viewers just plain dislike it, and, with almost any film you see that uses it, you can find someone complaining about it. In The Story of a Cheat, I found the narration initially amusing. But after nearly ninety minutes of it, I have to admit I got bored with the gimmick. The story itself is very frivolous. It's charming, but, in the end, it doesn't equal all that much. It has a similar "champagne on corn flakes" feel that René Clair's films often do, but it isn't anywhere near as memorable as Clair's best French work.