IMDb > The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
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The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949) More at IMDbPro »

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The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949) -- In Paris, a down and out medical student Johann Radek (Franchot Tone) is paid by Bill Kirby (Robert Hutton) to murder his wealthy aunt...

Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   274 votes
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Up 21% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Harry Brown (screenplay)
Georges Simenon (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Man on the Eiffel Tower on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1949 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
PARIS As You've Never Seen It Before! more
Plot:
In Paris, a down and out medical student Johann Radek (Franchot Tone) is paid by Bill Kirby (Robert Hutton) to murder his wealthy aunt... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
Nearly a classic more (23 total)

Cast

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Additional Details

Also Known As:
L'homme de la tour Eiffel (France)
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Runtime:
97 min | USA:87 min (DVD)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Anscocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono | Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Producer Irving Allen was the original director, but after only three days of shooting, Charles Laughton threatened to quit if Burgess Meredith did not take over. Laughton directed the scenes in which Meredith appeared. more
Quotes:
Inspector Jules Maigret: [to Johann Radek] By the way - there's one thing I'd like to know. Am I following you, or are you following me? more
Movie Connections:
Remake of La tête d'un homme (1933) more

FAQ

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
Nearly a classic, 23 April 2005
6/10
Author: djensen1 from northern Indiana

This clever suspenser from the French Maigret novels is undone by first-time director Meredith. The plot revolves around the murder of a wealthy woman and her maid one dark Parisian night. A dandy living off his aunt wishes her dead in public and catches the ear of Radek, a desperate fellow who is very clever but also a bit loopy (cast Gary Oldman in the remake).

Radek engineers a fiendish scheme to implicate a simple tinker in the crime, collect his fee, and lead Inspector Maigret down the garden path. The details are delicious--if you can follow them--and the characters (the dandy, his wife, his mistress, the tinker and his wife, the inspector and his detectives, and the arrogant killer) are interesting enough for three movies. But Meredith allows the plot to get muddy and doesn't really pull the best performances out of his actors (including himself).

Radek's manipulation of the other characters is real genius (for example, he gets others to search for the murder weapon while the cops are tailing him). The Parisian setting is terrific, and the spectacular climax atop the Eiffel Tower is not to be missed, altho it's a bit contrived. The result is a decent film, but Hitchcock would have hit this one out of the park.

Note: The version I saw was from the 50 Mystery Classics DVD set. It's in color, but very faded. However, I actually found its desaturated look to be a pleasant medium between full color and black and white.

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