Good start, but then it gets ruined

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

(Flash Review)This film is about a newly hired valet (not a restaurant valet but a butler for the wealthy) and his awkward interactions with the lady of the house and how he seemingly unintentionally charms her. The film is very dialog heavy as this felt like it was a theatrical play. There is some good witty banter as well as some interesting points being made about how the staff (maids and cooks) interact and to what degree their relationships should be with their family. The very end is almost a soliloquy as the valet is reciting all the reasons he is obsessed by his job and his love of being told what to do every day, thus the lack of decisions he needs to personally make. Overall, it was moderately entertaining with light tension and humor.

Sacha Guitry writes himself another juicy role, this time as a butler that all of the women in the house find irresistible. He is hired by the beautiful Jacqueline Delubac, or rather talks himself into being hired, after a questionable reference from his former employer who implicated him in a love affair (of course!). He has to promise to keep his hands off her, but is overheard speaking her name in the night while having "erotic dreams". This leads to many problems, especially when she starts having the same dreams. He finally professes his love for her in a long-winded speech and promptly quits. There is one funny scene, mostly unrelated to the rest of the film, with an old deaf woman at dinner, but otherwise this is just another insufferable vanity piece for Guitry.

A delightful French masters/servants farce not too far removed from The Rules of the Game, the most famous film of this genre. Sacha Guitry plays Jacqueline Delubac's new valet. Delubac isn't entirely sure that she's done the right thing by hiring him. He comes with a reputation for trying to seduce his mistresses. He swears it's all a misunderstanding, and her boyfriend, a minister of the government (Jacques Baumer), convinces her that it'll be all right. But just the suggestion of a possible servant/mistress sexual relationship starts to give both servant and mistress strong sexual dreams about each other, which makes neither of them happy. Worse yet, each are convinced that the other (as well as the other servants) can hear them talk in their dreams. This is quite an enjoyable film, very witty and well acted. It doesn't amount to a lot, and there are some dialogue scenes that go on for too long (it is an adaptation of one of Guitry's plays, but he directs it quite well so it isn't often static), but it's fun. Co-starring Arletty of Children of Heaven fame.

I noticed one of the reviewers gave this one a 10. Well, I wish I'd enjoyed it this much, though "Désiré" is still a pretty decent piece of social satire--though I really didn't see it as a comedy.The film begins with a man applying for the job of a butler. However, something odd happens--while Désiré (Sacha Guitry) has brought a great letter of recommendation, when his past employer is called she says she doesn't recommend him and is rather cagey about why. When told this by his prospective employer, he becomes angry and tells her that he thinks he was blackballed by his old employer because they both developed feelings for each other--and it made her uncomfortable. Will this pattern occur once again when he begins this job? As I said, this is more of a commentary about social class as, naturally, the two do start to develop feeling towards each other. While not particularly funny, it is insightful and interesting. Plus, you need to applaud Guitry's talent for acting, directing and having written this film.