Un Chapeau De Paille D'Italie (aka The Italian Straw Hat) (1927)

A young bridegroom (Albert Prejean) on his way to his wedding finds himself in trouble when his horse eats the Italian straw hat of a young married woman (Olga Tschechowa) dallying with a young Lieutenant (Geymond Vital). The soldier threatens the groom unless he can replace the woman's hat and the film follows Prejean trying to both placate and balance the bridal party and the angry lovers till he can replace the hat. Based on the classic French farce by Eugene Labiche and Marc Michel and directed by Rene Clair (AND THEN THERE WERE NONE). I love French farce and I desperately wanted to love this but in spite of the formidable reputation of Clair's much admired farce, I was slightly disappointed. Without dialogue (and the film has very few intertitles), silent film comedy is almost entirely dependent on the visuals and the pacing and considering his film is based on a well known play, Clair does very well but despite some inspired sequences (like the ill adjusted tie sequence during the wedding ceremony), his pacing is often turgid and the film isn't as light as a good farce should be. Actually, this is where a good underscore might help pick up the slack.