Quick recap: An older man recounts his life as a cheat and all the ups and downs that went with it.

Think Forrest Gump, but a classier version because it’s French

Fun (?) fact: The only lines of dialogue between characters occur in the ‘present’ day. The rest of the film is voiceover narration by The Cheat.

The Cheat……is grounded

My thoughts: So, here’s what Netflix told me this movie was going to be about:

“After learning at a young age that unbridled dishonesty leads to great success, a charismatic rogue (Sacha Guitry) spends the rest of his life pursuing lucrative criminal endeavors — giving rise to comical adventures and romances with gorgeous women. Written, directed and narrated by French auteur Guitry, this charming vintage soufflé also stars Marguerite Moreno, Jacqueline Delubac and Roger Duchesne.”

Vintage soufflé? Wtff? Anyway, this seemed like the worst movie ever if I was just going by the description. Let me tell you, there were many audible groans as I popped the DVD in and hoped for the best.

If nothing else, The Story of a Cheat has the most interesting opening credits that I have ever seen. Instead of a scrolling list of who’s who, the narrator introduces people on the set of the movie and has them wave at the audience. It sounds silly, but it totally comes off as clever because if there is one thing I hate more than opening credits, it’s opening credits in a foreign film.

The story starts with The Cheat explaining about his first act of dishonesty: stealing money from his family’s store to buy some marbles. His father finds out and bars the boy from eating mushrooms with the rest of the family at dinner. The boy is heartbroken until he learns that the mushrooms were poisonous and subsequently kill everyone off, except for him. What a life lesson! So naturally this starts him on the path of criminal activity. I loved how macabre the beginning was, and it reminded me of the book We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which you should go read RIGHT NOW if you haven’t yet. GO! What are you waiting for?

This movie was hilarious, and I say that in the most non-sarcastic way that I can. It was witty and charming and I think is the most underrated movie on this list so far. One of my favorite aspects was how closely it resembled a live action play. It sort of reminded me of Wes Anderson’s films and his flair for the theatrical. I doubt this is where he got his inspiration, but I can definitely see a connection. In many ways, The Story of a Cheat was way ahead of its time and maybe that’s why it isn’t as well known as it should be.

Final review: 5/5. I would definitely watch again!

Up next: Back to the Future

Quick recap: William ‘Steamboat Bill’ Canfield is a-you guessed it- steamboat captain. When he receives word that his son is coming to visit (and whom he hasn’t seen since he was a baby), Steamboat Bill looks forward to having a strong, muscular man such as himself to help with chores on the ship. Instead, he gets this guy:

That stare is going to haunt me for years to come.

Hilarity then ensues.

Fun (?) fact: One of the most famous scenes in this movie occurs when William Canfield Jr. (played by Buster Keaton) is almost crushed to death by the side of a house. This scene is later recreated for an episode of Arrested Development by none other than the character Buster.

not caused by a loose seal

My thoughts: I have discovered a perk to silent movies: I can watch them when The Kid is awake since I don’t need sound to understand them. Hearing the music coming from my computer, he came over to investigate. He watched for about two minutes before declaring the whole thing, ‘silly’ and then walking away, presumably to torture the cats. An apt, although quite succinct review, if I ever heard one.

I had heard of Buster Keaton before, although I have never seen anything he has been in. I always thought of him as another Charlie Chaplin, mainly because those are the only two silent film stars I can name. I do see similarities, though Chaplin seems much sweeter in his movies. Keaton plays the part of the ‘awkward son’ very well, and I admittedly laughed during the scenes where Bill Sr. tried to change Bill Jr.’s look into something more masculine. On that note, most descriptions of Steamboat Bill Jr. call Keaton a ‘dandy’, which I suppose is an appropriate adjective although one not used very much anymore. Dandy just seems like such a……. ‘dandy’ word. I’m not sure what I would call him, although with the ukelele and beret, ‘hipster’ might not be too far off.

You don’t understand my prog rock, DAD

The relationship between father and son lacked the warmth I had come to expect from silent films. Sure, in the end, father learns to accept son, but it was only at the very end and after Jr. had saved Sr.’s life. Jr. only won favor because he finally ‘manned up’. Then again, this is the 1920s we are talking about, so maybe my expectations were too high. Mostly, I thought of another father and son while watching this movie:

That’s right, I like to reference movies I just reviewed

Finally, the typhoon scene is what most people know about this movie, but I just found it…..weird. Maybe it was because it just looked like someone turned on a heavy duty fan on a clear day or maybe it was because houses don’t fall down like that, I don’t know. I didn’t find it very funny and thought it a weak ending to the story.

Final review: 3/5. Not the best, but I’m hoping to enjoy other Keaton films more.

Up next: October (Ten Days that Shook the World)