Coeurs joyeux

I usually agree with my esteemed colleague dbdumonteil who really knows French Cinema but I think here he underrates the charm this little film provides.It is an example of the interesting work still being done in a year of transition between silents and talkies; the story opens like a silent and there are several other scenes played out without dialogue.The crime robbery aspect in this mix of genres is not taken too seriously, as it would later be in a noir, the crooks don't go to strenuous efforts to keep the projectionist they've kidnapped (to show them footage of a jeweler they plan to rob) from spilling the beans.Some scenes suddenly turn it into a musical and others such as the ones with the irascible jeweler are played for broad laughs.It all culminates in a fast paced chase up and down a ship about to leave France. Director Hanss Schwartz is a subject for further research, he seems to have a flair for light operetta style material and he made at least one masterpiece, the silent The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna with a great role for Brigitte Helm.