If you watch an American movie from 1929, you'll most likely notice that the sound is not particularly good. Some of the characters will be hard to hear clearly and the film will seem quite flat compared to films made just a year or two later. You can't really blame these movies for this, as sound was such a new medium and they certainly hadn't worked out all the kinks. For example, they hadn't worked out how to add music and an actual orchestra was stationed just off camera to perform live! While "They Had to See Paris" has very, very poor sound, compared to the average film of the day, it's actually better than most. Some films from '29 (such as Mary Pickford's "Coquette") are nearly impossible to enjoy today due to the poor sound. Fortunately, this Will Rogers film has closed captioning AND captions on the DVD--a definite plus.
The story is very, very similar to the movie "Dodsworth" (1936) in that some simple American folk strike it rich and the pushy wife insists that they must travel to Paris to better themselves and expose their children to "culture". "Dodsworth" is a serious drama, however, and is one of the very best films of the 1930s--and holds up wonderfully today. "They Had to See Paris" is a comedy and just doesn't have the same timelessness as this other film--though it is pleasant and Will Rogers' first sound film.
Soon after striking oil, Rogers' family moves to Paris. Although the wife and his two kids go crazy in this town, Rogers remains pretty much the same man he was--a simple boy from Oklahoma. They never see their college-age son--he's always running about Europe with new friends. The daughter is running about with a handsome man--who you suspect is there only to leech off the family. And the wife has become quite the snob despite her very humble roots. The messages of this film seems to be to appreciate who you really are and to be content with this. In other words, don't try to be someone you aren't.
Rogers plays the character you'd expect--slow talking and simple but also but with a lot of common sense as evidenced by long string of insightful barbs along the way. Interestingly, Rogers physically looks quite different in this film compared to the more famous films he'd make just a couple years later (such as "Judge Priest" and "Dr. Bull"). His skin complexion in "They Had to See Paris" is very dark and his mixed American-Indian blood is very noticeable. However, later, he appeared very white in comparison. I assumed the director and cinematographer worked hard to make him appear a bit lighter skinned to downplay this--which, I guess, is rather sad.
The film features Rogers in some nice little vignettes. One of the nicest involves a very dull party the wife throws to impress her new "friends". He gave away his tux and she wants him to stay upstairs during this party, as he'd no doubt embarrass her. However, the party is a crashing bore and the guest of honor, a Russian noble, only has a good time when he wanders upstairs and meets Will. The scenes of these two men together are pretty cute--showing that despite their huge differences, people are people.
Overall, while it seems very dated today, the film, for 1929, is very, very good. It's charming and filled with nice performances. But, because times change, it's probably a film best appreciated by true devotees of early sound films.
The story is very, very similar to the movie "Dodsworth" (1936) in that some simple American folk strike it rich and the pushy wife insists that they must travel to Paris to better themselves and expose their children to "culture". "Dodsworth" is a serious drama, however, and is one of the very best films of the 1930s--and holds up wonderfully today. "They Had to See Paris" is a comedy and just doesn't have the same timelessness as this other film--though it is pleasant and Will Rogers' first sound film.
Soon after striking oil, Rogers' family moves to Paris. Although the wife and his two kids go crazy in this town, Rogers remains pretty much the same man he was--a simple boy from Oklahoma. They never see their college-age son--he's always running about Europe with new friends. The daughter is running about with a handsome man--who you suspect is there only to leech off the family. And the wife has become quite the snob despite her very humble roots. The messages of this film seems to be to appreciate who you really are and to be content with this. In other words, don't try to be someone you aren't.
Rogers plays the character you'd expect--slow talking and simple but also but with a lot of common sense as evidenced by long string of insightful barbs along the way. Interestingly, Rogers physically looks quite different in this film compared to the more famous films he'd make just a couple years later (such as "Judge Priest" and "Dr. Bull"). His skin complexion in "They Had to See Paris" is very dark and his mixed American-Indian blood is very noticeable. However, later, he appeared very white in comparison. I assumed the director and cinematographer worked hard to make him appear a bit lighter skinned to downplay this--which, I guess, is rather sad.
The film features Rogers in some nice little vignettes. One of the nicest involves a very dull party the wife throws to impress her new "friends". He gave away his tux and she wants him to stay upstairs during this party, as he'd no doubt embarrass her. However, the party is a crashing bore and the guest of honor, a Russian noble, only has a good time when he wanders upstairs and meets Will. The scenes of these two men together are pretty cute--showing that despite their huge differences, people are people.
Overall, while it seems very dated today, the film, for 1929, is very, very good. It's charming and filled with nice performances. But, because times change, it's probably a film best appreciated by true devotees of early sound films.