A wonderful comedy of class manners from 1935. Paris at the turn of the last century finds an English butler in the employ of some nouveau riche Americans (recently oil rich) when the butler's former employer loses him in a game of draw poker (his words). What becomes more culture shock w/a little class shock thrown in, our intrepid Ruggles must adapt to a culture where exclusivity is a new thing for him since he's always has been at the beck & call of his master during his professional career but once in the States, that all changes. Drinks are shared, opinions are asked & more importantly a sense of independence is fostered whereby he falls in love & decides to open an eatery. Charles Laughton stars here in one of his early starring roles (this is probably the slimmest I've ever seen him) & milks the comedy for all its worth. There is still a sense of the theatrical in the staging where the actors tend to deliver their lines to the back rows of the proscenium but the running time & good natured performances trump any drawbacks you may encounter.
Review of Ruggles of Red Gap
