gridoon2024 Review of The Man on the Eiffel Tower

The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)

Offbeat, enjoyable crime thriller

[6/10 · 10 September 2021]

I recently watched an earlier, French screen adaptation of the same Georges Simenon novel, "La Tete D'Un Homme" (1933). Compared to that one, The Man On The Eiffel Tower" has less psychological depth; in its place, there is one chase scene around (and over) Paris too many, with both Burgess Meredith's and Franchot Tone's characters (inexplicably) performing stunts that would scare away even some professional stuntmen! But the film is still off-the-beaten-path enough to be interesting, especially for a Hollywood project. Meredith, who also directed, seems enamored with the City of Light. He makes sure at every opportunity to let you know that it was really shot on location, and even includes some remarkable up-close-and-personal footage of the Eiffel Tower (in earlier, more innocent times where apparently any random passer-by could climb up without the slightest check). Tone is terrific, and Charles Laughton is typically enjoyable as Commissaire Maigret. The finale is anticlimactic though: (SPOILERS) when you promise a high fall from the Eiffel Tower, you better deliver a high fall from the Eiffel Tower. **1/2 out of 4.