clanciai Brilliant thriller of suspense increasing all the way, until the absurd mystery ends up in a most surprising explanation. The best mysteries are the deepest and most inexplicable ones that all the same finally reveal a most logical solution. Jean Simmons' situation is really quite upsetting, she couldn't be more helpless in her predicament, but fortunately there is Dirk Bogarde at hand in a typical role of his as an English painter in Paris. The French people are also quite convincing, and fortunately they even speak French. It's easy for a foreigner to get lost in Paris with always strange things going on and bodies being fished up from the Seine almost every other day, and here there is even a world exhibition going on with the premiere of the Eiffel Tower and an awful balloon accident on top of that disposing of a key witness to add to poor Jean Simmons troubles... It's an ingenious intrigue, and every detail is important. It's vital that you don't miss anything of what is said in any conversation, since every piece in this puzzle is indispensable to the whole picture.

paulsp2 I doubt that many people these days have ever heard of this movie but IMO it's one of those absolute classic films which is practically flawless and holds your attention from beginning to end. The sense of period is marvellous and all the cast are fully professional in their roles. The one character that really stood out for me was Mde.Herve played by Cathleen Nesbitt. I was probably only around 17/18 when I saw this on t.v. but her portrayal was the one I remembered most vividly for years after. It was great to be reacquainted via YouTube and as a mark of a truly great production it was every bit as good as I remembered which, as we all know, is so often not the case after the passing of many years.

vincentlynch-moonoi I'm generally not a fan of old British movies, although occasionally one comes along that is not stuffy and slow. This is one of those exceptions, and one worth of a Hitchcock treatment (and in fact, Hitchcock redid the film as an episode of his television series). It's an intriguing whodunit...or in this case who and what dunit. I cheated and read the reviews and plot line in advance, and I'm kinda glad I did...gave me a hint at what to watch for, although not knowing that might have been just an interesting.I also suddenly realized while watching the film that the lady hotel owner was also Cary Grant's grandmother in "An Affair To Remember". Of course, in this film she wasn't nice and sweet! The plot here is rather simple. A British brother and sister come to Paris for the 1889 World's Fair (and the introduction of the Eiffel Tower). They stay in a nice hotel, in separate rooms, and overnight her brother disappears...and so does his hotel room! Everyone acts as if she is a bit daft, but she realizes she must track down the truth. Just about when everything appears hopeless...about halfway through the film...along comes Dirk Bogarde to the rescue (we see Bogarde early in the film, but only briefly). He begins to pull the pieces of the puzzle together.Jean Simmons is excellent here, and she was well along in her career at this point. On the other hand, Dirk Bogarde was on the rise in his, and he makes a very good showing of himself here.One odd thing about this British movie is that because much of it takes place in Paris, many of the people in the film are speaking FRENCH...and there are no subtitles. Sometimes that heightens the suspense, other times it puts a damper on it.Top notch entertainment; highly recommended.

Jem Odewahn This is an entertaining, engaging little thriller that is very satisfying, thanks to the convincing performance of the lovely leading lady Jean Simmons, the good direction from Darnborough and Fisher, and the impeccably tight screenplay.Simmons plays a young woman, Vicky Barton, who, while visiting Paris at the time of the World Fair in 1896, loses her brother, Johnny. The film revolves around Simmon's attempts to find him, her fear and uncertainty over whether or not he really is missing at all, and her falling in love with a nice young artist George (Dirk Bogarde), who is the only one who believes her story. The film culminates in a satisfying, logical conclusion befitting the circumstances.I liked this late-period Gainsbourough film a lot (how different it is from the earlier productions). Simmons is gorgeous and a very young Bogarde matches up well with her. Perhaps the film is lacking in character development (from the moment Simmons meets Bogarde we just know they will fall in love), giving way to the riveting plot, but that's just part of the fun.Hitchcock apparently was a great admirer of this film. I find that interesting as this film actually resembles Hitchock's 1938 film "The Lady Vanishes"! I can see why Hitchcock admired this one though, with its careful crafting of suspense and elegantly directed scenes. Darnborough and Fisher also pull of a feat that Hitchcock himself had trouble with- a costume picture.A great little picture. Highly recommend.