With all the seriousness, doom and gloom going around nowadays, it’s often a great relief to sit back and forget about any troubles with a comedy.
TWO TIMID SOULS is perfect for this. While being a film that never takes itself too seriously, it still manages to carefully judge the right balance of comedy for each scene, flowing well into a complete piece that is made up of slapstick, witty and absurd humour. This screening was brilliantly accompanied by Neil Brand, who provided a blistering yet totally fitting live piano accompaniment through the entire film.
Fremissin (Pierre Batcheff), a lawyer with seemingly no backbone, must defend wife beater and all round thug Garadoux (Jim Gérald) in court. After getting him a three month prison sentence, a few years pass and hatchets are buried. However, as always, this does not last. As Garadoux starts courting the beautiful Cécile (Véra Flory), Fremissin comes back into the picture, with his eye also on her…
What director René Clair does here so brilliantly is find a balance between multiple comedic scenarios in one scene. For example, in the scene were Fremissin first meets Cécile and they are being entertained by clearly terrible singing, making the family dog frantic, our attention is drawn to Fremissin. His awkward demeanour on the edge of the chaise lounge next to Cécile and his constant fidgeting with the cushion tassel, until it falls off is just as funny as the overarching gag of the singing setting the dog off. This attention to detail brings out great chemistry between the two leads, and a greater connection between them and audience.
Despite this, one must not forget about Jim Gérald’s performance as Garadoux. In fact, within the first 15 minutes or so, the audience are lead to believe that the story will follow him. There is a great build up of Garadoux’s ever fluctuating relationship with his wife, culminating in the court room and Fremissin seemingly like a supporting character. With most of the slapstick comedy coming from his antics, Gérald’s Oliver Hardy-esuqe expressions bring out laugh out loud humour in every scene. It gels perfectly with the sharp witticisms firing between he and protagonist Fremissin, leading up to a brilliant free for all climax between them and Cécile’s family.
The humour may not stand the test of time, but the editing tricks of the kaleidoscopic montage sequence and multiple shot frames are very impressive. As this is rather unexpected for a light hearted comedy, one could imagine that these impressive techniques may feel out of place. However, Clair blends them seemingly in with the tone of the film, using them to add to the story and to comedic effect.
With the jovial buoyancy of Chaplin and the class of Gatsby, TWO TIMID SOULS is a charming, genuinely funny and easy watch.