Irma La Douce

A 1963 Romantic Comedy

Monday, December 9, 2024

Irma La Douce is a 1963 comedy in color.  Irma dresses mostly in green because it is her favorite color, and her small white dog also wears a green bow, green collar, and green leash. Directed by Billy Wilder, produced by Billy Wilder and Alexandre Trauner, and written by I.A.L. Diamond and Billy Wilder, the movie stars Shirley MacLaine, Jack Lemmon, Lou Jacobi, Bill Bixby, and other actors.

The story takes place in Paris, France, but the movie is in English. The scenes reminded me of Moulin Rouge and Les Miserable but this movie is better because the story is entertaining and fun.

An honest police officer falls in love with a prostitute, but he wants to do the right thing. He also wants to save her from life on the street and her rough pimp as well as encourage her to quit smoking. He watches all the prostitutes go into Hotel Cassanova with their john, and he enters to raid it, after calling the police station.The police detain all the prostitutes for a short time, and Nestor is fired. Irma doesn’t want to get married because she considers herself as a professional, making her own money. She still misses one of her johns, who paid her $500 a night, which gave her more leisure time to work less and have fun. Nestor Patou wants to win her heart and be that man. Nestor hangs out at the bar, discussing his issues with the bartender. They come up with a plan to create a wealthy man who will pay her $500. He borrows the money from the bartender, they create a disguise for this mystery Lord X who will pay Irma, and Irma will give the $500 to Nestor. Nestor will return the money to the bartender. Meanwhile, Nestor works at a food market all day in order to make $500 and be able to pay Irma via Lord X, her wealthy john. He tires himself out, just to make her happy. She eventually catches him in the act when he returns dead tired to the studio apartment via the balcony.

When he becomes discouraged, he throws his Lord X disguise into the Seine River. Irma’s pimp sees the clothes floating in the river, before seeing Nestor run off. He assumes Nestor killed Lord X, and goes to the police. The police arrest Nestor, but the bartender devises a mastermind plan to sneak Nestor out of jail and prove his innocence in a twisted way. Meanwhile, Nestor goes straight to Irma, excited that she is pregnant and proposes marriage. She tells him that she loves him but she cannot marry him because the father is Lord X. Nestor tell her that he doesn’t care. She is happy, agreeing to marry him in a catholic church wedding. She gives birth to a baby girl at the church, and the police department give Nestor his old job back.

This movie is fun and entertaining, with lots of twists. I enjoyed the light romance comedy about a hopelessly romantic man pursuing a prostitute because he wants to save her and take care of her as his wife. He works hard to prove his love for her, with the help from his bartender cupid friend.

I watched this movie on YouTube. I decided to add the movie link, but it can only be watched on YouTube.