La Kermesse Heroique review

Set in the early 17th century, Jacques Feyder's battle-of-the-sexes farce sees a Flemish town thrown into turmoil by the impending visit of Spanish dignitaries and troops. The cowardly mayor (André Alerme) plays dead, while his pragmatic wife (Françoise Rosay) mobilises the womenfolk into preparing a welcome banquet... Lustrous and striking in its design and cinematography, and acted with real pizazz, this romantic tale still fizzes with comic ironies. A little-known pleasure from '30s French cinema.