About 15 years ago I edited together some clips from the DVD commentary for this film and put it on YouTube. It went somewhat viral, at least to the extent of being mentioned in the Guardian and on the film’s Wikipedia page.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5h9ZPBuBEs
I think this is the first time I’ve rewatched it since then - important preparation for the upcoming release of Marching Powder.
I felt a kind of absurd responsibility to give it a chance and try to…
Really enjoyed this. Could imagine finding it irritating if it strikes you in the wrong mood, but I found it charming and funny for the most part.
Loses half a star for the ending, which felt rushed and a bit weak.
I had previously only seen Jean Pierre-Leaud in The 400 Blows so it was fun to see him grown up, on top of the novelty of an Aki Kaurismaki film in London.
Really enjoyed this for about 30 mins but I lost interest by the second half. The English actors all seemed quite bad, although I guess that may be just… how the Kaurismaki delivery style sounds in English.
