I haven't seen this film in the U.S. so I can't say how well it translated or made it to the screen here. Clair is clearly not nouvelle vague of late 50's of early 60's but he was a firebrand in his own surrealistic time. Someone called this film a valentine and I agree whole-heartedly. It's perhaps not so surprising to notice the French treatment of Maurice Chevalier as opposed to the American one. Still the portrait treats him with affection - by-gone affection - with a slightly tarnished surface that the French understood in a trice. The recreation of the Paris of the time was loving if not realistic, but who is looking for realism in a confection of this order? Clair did what he's done in the past with a slight update and I find nothing whatsoever to complain about. The parts come together with the perfection I expect from the auteur and the journey is extremely nice. Addendum - I bought a copy of the DVD of this film that was in terrible shape. It deserves much better than that. Update - I looked at "Man About Town" once more and it still fails on just about every perspective. The French version as I mentioned above is kind to Chevalier but not adoring in any way. In the Americanized version he's actually commenting on his own misbehavior with an "ooo la la" attitude strong enough to curdle milk. Curtis Stotlar
Review of Man About Town
