One of the most beloved films you've never heard of, from one of the most brilliant directors you've never heard of, it's Le Million, a French musical comedy from 1931, directed by Rene Clair.

I can just hear the back-buttons now, clicking out of this thread, but film lovers, you must trust me on this- this is a delightful film. Delightful, charming and fun, and technically and artistically ground-breaking to boot.

Let me give you a glimpse of what movie-goers of the past thought of this film:

"Certainly the public took to it enthusiastically. It was the only one of Clair’s prewar films to gain widespread and immediate approval, both in France and overseas. Twenty years later, a Cahiers du cinéma survey of film personnel (1952) was still placing it the sixth best film of all time, while a 1960 survey of filmgoers from forty different countries also placed it among the ten greatest films. - French Cinema - A Critical Filmography, Volume 1, 1929-1939

And yet, you've never heard of it, and why should you have any interest in an ancient musical comedy in a foreign language? Sounds boring, doesn't it?

Musicals are not my thing; they've always struck me as preposterous, reality-distorting affairs. A scene is playing out, the plot is being advanced, and suddenly, everything stops and one or more people in the scene break into song. Ridiculous. Of course the roots of this genre exist in musical theater, operettas and the like.

Le Million avoids this pattern of stopping a story in order to sing songs, and in doing so, influenced film makers for decades. Le Million is a "chase" film; an object is pursued, and the pursuers of the pursued object are themselves pursued. Chaplin, Keaton, the Marx Brothers- all were influenced by Rene Clair's films.

An impoverished artist, hounded by his creditors, wins the Dutch Lottery for one million Florins. The ticket is in his jacket, and the jacket was given away to an old man, and this is the chase in the film. The artist chases the jacket, the artist's creditors chase the artist, and the police chase everyone.

The songs in the film do not halt the plot; rather, they drive the plot, and the pace of the film never lets up.

Director Rene Clair dreaded the coming of synchronized sound in films. He referred to sound films as a "redoubtable monster" and yet, despite his feelings on the matter, he knew he could not stop the inevitable tide, and being a true professional, produced some of his best work in Le Million

The film is French but produced by the German studio Tobis using their Tri-Ergon sound-on-film-system. Warner Brothers, the studio which brought the first commercially viable sound films to the movie-going public, used a sound-on-disc system, in which sound was recorded on large discs and then during projection of the film, was synchronized with the image. The Tri-Ergon system incorporated the soundtrack on the film itself, a much more practical system which exists to this day.

Do yourself a favor and watch this movie. It is not to be taken seriously. In my opinion it is something special, and I love it dearly.

Airing on TCM this Monday, July 17 at 11:00 PM Eastern

Thanks. Set to record.

I imagine there will be little interest in this film among this group, but it would be fun to watch with friends. I find that this film puts people in a good mood unless they're determined to be in a bad one. Anyway, enjoy.

Thanks, Para, for this superb recommendation. These are the films that enrich our lives in so many subtle ways. Merci bien pour cette recommendation magnifique!

Also set to record. Thanks!