Irma la Douce

The story was originally produced as a stage musical, and though all the songs have been cut, other conventions of the genre have left their mark in the set design and score, giving the film a unique feel and a lot of sensory interest. The film is beautiful to look at in terms of color and composition as well, and there’s no doubt that Wilder is in complete control of his visual output — especially when framing physical comedy scenes (note Nestor & Hippolyte’s barroom brawl and the montage of Nestor at work).

It’s the plot Wilder doesn’t quite have command of, though his one-liners and effective running gags save even the most absurd situations. I’ll say no more about that — not only would I hate to spoil anything, but I doubt I could explain coherently if I tried! At nearly 2 1/2 hours this is overlong for a bawdy romantic comedy, and the last half hour wouldn’t be missed if it had been cut entirely, but I didn’t find myself checking my watch often. The quick place doesn’t slacken, the leads are delightful, and the script is genuinely hilarious. It is by no means its equal, but Irma La Douce is a fitting companion piece to the truly brilliant The Apartment.