Having recently watched Duvivier's 1925 'Silent' Poil de Carrotte I was more than prepared for the mastery on display here, some five years later. The very first shot of a train bringing Denise from the provinces is worthy of Renoir's La Bete Humaine and trains don't really figure in the story so this was merely Duvivier flaunting his skill, as well he might. By coincidence the Zola novel on which this is based is part of the sequence containing La Bete Humaine so who's to say that it wasn't Renoir - working several years later - who sought to link the two via locomotives. I tend to agree with other notices here regarding the acting though we have to remember that back then acting was, of necessity, what today we would describe as 'hammy' or over the top. This does not apply to the lead, Dita Parlo, so unforgettable in La Grande Illusion, who was a fine actress with relatively few credits. The story - big business versus the Little Man - is, of course time-honoured and Duvivier tells it splendidly in fluid camera-work laced liberally with opticals. A must-see.

Only a handful of film directors have fully exploited the medium to its utmost effect. After seeing this film I must include Julien Duvivier along with Hitchcock, Eisenstein, etc. as a master of the art. Duvivier doesn't just show you the mad rush of crowds of people but through his use of camera movement makes you feel that you too have been swept up in the rush. I have to admit that a large part of the film's impact comes through the new score by Gabriel Thibaudeau which helps express the inner feelings of the characters. The combination of the score and editing in the shopkeeper's crackup sequence is so intense that I felt I was going mad myself. Clearly, Duvivier was familiar with Eisenstein's work and theories. The ending was a disappointment. The entire film makes you feel for the little guy but in the end the film makes an about face and seems to say that progress is good no matter what the cost. Perhaps this ending was demanded by the film's financial backers. Nevertheless, the shortcomings of the story only slightly weaken the impact of this powerful work of art.

The final silent film from Duvivier (of Pepe le Moko fame) is an adaptation of an Emile Zola novel starring Dita Parlo (of L'Atalante and The Grand Illusion fame). I didn't even know Parlo made any other films! She's wonderful. She plays an orphan girl who shows up to Paris to live with and work for her uncle. Unfortunately, she finds him and his tailor shop destitute, failing under the encroaching department store across the street, Au bonheur des dames (translated as "Ladies' Paradise"). She's only too happy to get a job at the fabulous store, where she attracts the attention of several different men (and the jealousies of some of her female co-workers). Meanwhile, her family across the street is going to Hell. The visuals and direction are very good, as are the performances.