''On purge bébé'' (''Baby's Laxative'') is
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...
's first
sound film
A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
, based upon the play by
Georges Feydeau. It is a 1931 comedy about a supposedly unbreakable chamberpot and a constipated baby. It is known for mocking the French bourgeoisie.
Renoir made the film in a record three weeks (from script to finished film) in order to get backing for other projects. His next film was ''
La Chienne''.
Synopsis
Mr. Follavoine seeks to sell unbreakable chamberpots to the French army. In an attempt to close the deal, he invites Chouilloux, an influential official of the Ministry of hosts, for dinner to discuss putting his chamberpots on the market. But on that same day, Follavoine's son is constipated and Mrs. Follavoine tries to force him to take his laxative, but he flat out refuses to take it. From that point on, nothing goes as planned.
Release
On 14 June 2016, American video-distribution company
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of art film, arth ...
released ''On purge bébé'', newly restored through a 4K digital transfer, as a bonus feature for the release of ''
La Chienne'' on Blu-ray and DVD.
References
# Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell, ''Film History: An Introduction''.
On purge bébé
External links
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1931 films
1931 comedy films
French comedy films
1930s French-language films
Films based on works by Georges Feydeau
Films directed by Jean Renoir
French black-and-white films
French films based on plays
1930s French films
Films scored by Paul Misraki
French-language comedy films
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