Drôle de drame

A bit uneven but it's highs are really great and the lows pass pretty quickly. If you can get over Simon's grating voice this is a really funny movie and the mystery aspect is quite well done.

The English translation is "Funny Drama", but it's not as funny as it should be, given the wacky title and the ingeniously complicated plot. Even Michel Simon is too domesticated here to wreak his usual havock. Part of it has to do with the odd choice of setting the film in Britain (and using English-language signs) but having the cast and dialogue in French. That 'just not quite right feeling' accompanies most scenes, diminishing Prevert's frequently witty script.

Everyone is just a little bit too ridiculous from the protagonists, who don't end the whole charade because they are embarrassed, to the detective who bases his whole case on a lot of milk bottles.

Part comedy of errors, part comedy of manners, it's brilliantly constructed. The situation becomes more and more ridiculous but never feels forced. Some beautiful camera work too. Michel Simon can be an annoying actor, but here he's perfect, as is the entire cast of memorable characters. I wouldn't say it was a knee-slapper, but it was all very clever and amusing. Still, like the other Carné films, although I was impressed with the work, it didn't truly grab hold of me.

Cute comedy of errors by Carné.

Absurd French alleged-murder farce based on a British novel by J. Storer Clouston and directed by the great Marcel Carné! Michel Simon is in it! That's enough right there to adore it! Louis Jouvet is also in it as a naughty little bishop. Even more reason to trace this one down! Chaotic, ironic and down right silly comedy which just kept getting messier. A little too messy perhaps, but the good parts more then made up for it!