Tire-au-flanc (n. m.) : paresseux ; personne qui cherche à se soustraire au travail.

Un film chaplinien, enlevé, virtuose, rigolo, aimable, bienveillant et mal-pensant, servi avec bonheur par la musique sensible et légère de Marc Perrone, dont l’accordéon diatonique fait des merveilles. Un régal, quoi.

Jean Renoir’s most overtly comical and anarchistic film, Tire-au-flanc is the definitive comedy of army life, a popular subject at the time. Noticeably less restrained and less technically accomplished than Renoir’s other silent films, it is clear that the director’s main preoccupation here was to entertain. And, whilst many of the jokes are pretty laboured and dated by today’s standards, it is not hard to see why this film would have been appreciated by a 1920s audience. Much of the comedy in the film was improvised, giving it a sense of unpredictability and a great sense of fun. — James Travers