The good friend who gave me this film - and boy, was he glad to get rid of it - remarked that perhaps I would feel more kindly towards it than he did. Alas, no. It's billed as a thriller but you'll find more thrills in The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg. It also stars Charles Vanel which is a criminal waste of talent. Vanel - who lived to be 97 - had one of the longest and most distinguished careers in French cinema but God knows why he signed on for this turkey. He spends virtually all his screen time with a pipe clamped in his mouth as if auditioning for Maigret, indeed a good 90 per cent of the 'action' consists of people TALKING, in twos, threes, or groups. It does have a promising opening two minutes with some nice noirish shots of falling leaves and black cobblestones but it soon becomes clear that Dreville cut these in from another film. For insomniacs who've tried everything else; this will work, trust me.
2 Reviews
No sleeping pills needed
dbdumonteil10 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
In spite of Charles Vanel ,I fell asleep halfway through ;So I gave this movie a second chance and I played it again ,but was so bored I had to call it quits before the end (in fact I used the fast forward button) It's basically a spy thriller but most of it takes place between four walls ,except for some scenes on a ship where the Commissaire's secretary's husband is help captive (the way he manages to escape might help you some day if you are in the same situation:just ask permission to go to the toilet,it works if your jailer is a woman).
A stodgy effort by Jean Dréville who made,however,some commendable works such as "Le Visiteur" "Les Affaires Sont Les Affaires" or the first version of "La Reine Margot".
A stodgy effort by Jean Dréville who made,however,some commendable works such as "Le Visiteur" "Les Affaires Sont Les Affaires" or the first version of "La Reine Margot".
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