À NOUS LA LIBERTE (Liberty For Us)
1931, dir. René Clair
Anyway, I chose this film because it is considered to be a masterpiece - one of the greatest French films of all time. Here's what Criterion has to say about it: "One of the all-time comedy classics, René Clair's A nous la liberté tells the story of Louis, an escaped convict who becomes a wealthy industrialist. Unfortunately, his past returns (in the form of old jail pal Emile) to upset his carefully laid plans. Featuring lighthearted wit, tremendous visual innovation, and masterful manipulation of sound, A nous la liberté is both a potent indictment of mechanized modern society and an uproarious comic delight." I couldn't have said it better myself.
It's also interesting in that the film's distribution company sued Charlie Chaplin and United Artists for plagiarism, claiming that his film Modern Times had stolen directly from À nous la liberté. Director René Clair refused to be involved in the suit, saying that he considered it a compliment that Chaplin, who he admired greatly, would base a film on his. After more than a decade Chaplin finally settled the lawsuit, but continued to deny that the charges had any validity.
I guess we'll see for ourselves.
