User Reviews

This is a not a movie for Fernandel fans unless they are prepared to make important concessions. The first is that, despite the fact that he's playing the title character, Fernandel's part is almost peripheral to the main plot. True, he comes on like gang busters and has a wonderful scene with Brasseur in which good old Pierre – fearful of being searched by the police – palms a wad of counterfeit notes into ever-smiling Fernandel's coat pocket and then – when the coast is clear – tries vainly to retrieve them. But as far as Fernandelish comedy is concerned, this is the movie's high point. And that is the second concession: Don't expect Fernandel to be funny. True, he smiles a lot and his super-toothy grin is rather infectious, but that's about as far as the comedy goes. As said, he's not even the main character in the story. The honor belongs to one of these three (take your pick): The lovely Simone Simon who sets the plot in motion and has a lot to say for herself and of herself (her voice which is so delightfully soothing in her Hollywood movies is somewhat grating here – especially when the listener is exposed to it for such an enormous length of time); bullying con-man Pierre Brasseur (whom the lovely Simone attempts to kill in the movie's opening shot – alas, without success); and the equally (but far more sinisterly) aggressive combination night club proprietor and head of the counterfeiters, Marcel Dalio, who loves to verbally browbeat everyone in sight. Bringing up the support cast are assorted cops and, of course, chorus girls – among whom the connoisseur can spot Corinne Calvet and Simone Sylvestre. IMDb rightly describes this film's genre as "Crime" and "Mystery" rather than "Comedy". Certainly the "Crime" aspect is strong, but the "Mystery" is half-hearted at best. In fact, the DVD cover designer regards the "Mystery" angle as so unimportant, he/she reveals who the killer is in a prominent photograph!

People who watch a lot of French films will relish the opening of this one: Behind the credits, in a noirish street, a woman is pacing back and forth and not unnaturally we think 'hooker' but not so fast, Inspecteur. With the credits out of the way we close in on the woman who is certainly not dressed like a hooker. It is, in fact, Simone Simon and as we watch she takes out a gun and as Pierre Brasseur leaves a nightclub named Le Petit Poucet (The Tiny Thumb) she puts a slug where it will do the most good, or it would have had it found its target. Instead she wings an innocent passerby, Petrus, a local photographer, played by Fernandel. This was 1946. Cut to 1949 and a second movie, Portrait d'un Assassin. We open in a noirish street and this time it's Pierre Brasseur with the gun and he's attempting to nail his wife, Arletty. Again the would-be assassin misses the target (Brasseur hit Maria Montez but alas, she survived to stink up the screen). Marcel Dalio was also in both films. Marc Allegret - and to a certain extent his kid brother Yves - is unjustly neglected today if not perhaps entirely forgotten. A great shame as he made some fine films - Fanny, Entree des Artitstes, Drole de dimanche - and some perhaps not so fine - immediately after Petrus he went to England and made Blanche Fury. Say no more. This, however, is an excellent effort with Fernandel more or less playing straight and another Simone (Sylvestre) adding sultriness. Dalio and Brasseur are top drawer and a good time is had by all.