Around about 1968, Hollywood finally discovered the French bedroom farce. About thirty or forty years late, I will admit, but who's complaining when it's realized with such taste and stunning elegance as here in "A Flea in Her Ear"! The delightfully rococo sets conjured up by production designer Alexandre Trauner, plus the ritzy color photography by Charles Lang add to our pleasure, but it's possible that director Jacques Charon is the man with the most admirable sense of the visually picturesque. The wide Panavision screen is constantly filled with carefully composed kaleidoscopes of high-life Parisian fashion and nineteenth century bric-a-brac.
Like most scripts of this type, ringing the changes does tend to outstay its initial welcome. Admittedly, Rex Harrison is partly to blame as, in my opinion, his alter ego doesn't seem credible. But the rest of the players are simply admirable.
Like most scripts of this type, ringing the changes does tend to outstay its initial welcome. Admittedly, Rex Harrison is partly to blame as, in my opinion, his alter ego doesn't seem credible. But the rest of the players are simply admirable.