Celluloid : the film to-day (1931)

194 CELLULOID than in individuals, possibly because the group lends itself more to satire of conventions than the individual. Each of his films has been concerned with a number of persons and their acquaintances, never with the character of one in particular. I would mention, also, his favourite idea of running one character through a film until by sheer repetition he or she begins to be humorous. This is an old trick, often used by Chaplin and other comedians. The Italian Straw Hat centred round a deaf old man who was really of little consequence. Sous les toits de Paris contained its irate gentleman with his feet in a bath, who was constantly about to throw a jug of water over Albert but was never quite able to bring himself to do so. It had also its delightful old man in the cafe at the end, completely bewildered by the extraordinary behaviour of Louis and Albert, he Million, in its turn, has a taxi-driver who carries Michel all round Paris without receiving his fare and continually gets moved on by the police, as well as a sun-bather. Such small characters, played with perfect artistry, are typical of the importance attached by Clair to his minor players. It may be pointed out that they are always doing things, ever in a state of achieving some small action but never quite succeeding, thus forming yet another undercurrent of movement to contribute to the pace of the film as a whole. I have already commented on the use of music in he Million, but I would stress Clair's very remarkable sense of musical motifs, his feeling for overtones of sound, which run the whole way through the picture. It is possible that if we were to see The Italian Straw