2009 AFI Dallas Film Festival - Paris 36

(France, 2008, 120 mins)
In French with English subtitles
35mm
Directed By: Christopher Barratier

In 1936 Paris, workers strike, the socialist party runs amok and a working-class neighborhood is about to lose its beloved music hall, the Chansonia. Stagehand Pigoil loses his job when the theater is taken over by gangsters, and he loses his son when his wife leaves him.

Desperate and poor, Pigoil and his friends Milou, a hot-headed idealist and ladies man, and Jacky, who dreams of being king of the theater, take over the theater and try to return it to its former glory.

Things look grim in Christophe Barratier’s musical comedy when the trio’s half-hearted attempts at vaudeville and comedy fall flat with neighborhood audiences. But their luck turns when the beautiful Douce auditions as a singing announcer. Her voice and grace bring in the crowds and soon the Chansonia is the toast of Paris. But the troupe still has to deal with the mob, political tensions and love triangles.

Information from the festival's website