boblipton After the success of THAT MAN FROM RIO, director Philippe de Broca and star Jean-Paul Belmondo reteamed for this movie. Belmondo is a young man with a dimwitted fiancee and a predatory prospective mother-in-law. His saving grace is that he is a billionaire. On being told he is broke, he has friendly Chinese philosopher Valéry Inkijinoff arrange to kill him -- a two-million-dollar insurance payout will be split between the philosopher and his fiancee. However, on seeing Ursula Andress doing a striptease (without, alas, taking off any clothes; what's the point of watching French movies?), he regains his will to live, as any sensible man would.It's based on one of Jules Vernes' voyages extraordinaires with almost all of it shot on location. In addition, the situations are very funny, in that frantic manner that the French farceurs did such a good job at. Unfortunately, while the situations are comic, only Miss Andress and Jean Rochefort as Belmondo's long-suffering valet show any comic sensibilities.French audiences didn't seem to care. It was successful. De Broca was a good, commercial director who always knew what his audience wanted and gave it to them, even if it seems he didn't -- or perhaps couldn't -- give them more than they might expect.

Ron Altman Turbulent, fast-paced comedy adventure (one of the best of its time) about unhappy billionaire Belmondo, whose suicide attempts keep failing. When he hires some killers to do him in, he falls in love with beautiful Andress and wants to reverse the deal. Belmondo is ideally suited to this role, exotic locations and lots of stunts make this a joy to watch. A worthy companion piece to the Bond movies of that time. Based on a Jules Verne novel. Score by Georges Delerue. English title: UP TO HIS EARS. ...if you haven't seen it, seek it out... an absolute must! Text-book example of a fast pace... still unequalled in its mad-cap sequences

Lee Eisenberg Back in the '60s, everyone loved a cool spy flick. James Bond, Derek Flint, Harry Palmer (and even Maxwell Smart) were the famous secret agents, but probably not as many people remember "Les tribulations d'un chinois en Chine". It has French everyman Arthur Lempereur (Jean-Paul Belmondo) getting involved in espionage in Hong Kong. A really fun scene is the whole chase scene. However, in my opinion, the intrigue and stuff gets overshadowed by Ursula Andress's presence. There's one scene in particular that will very likely remind you of her role in "Dr. No".So, there always had to be spy stories involving hot babes. A flick similar to this one is "Die Holle von Macao" (also called "The Corrupt Ones") which starred Elke Sommer. You'll probably like both movies.

kibishii I saw this when it was shown recently on TCM, because I have enjoyed Jean Paul Belmondo's films, particularly "The Burglars". Also this film had supposedly provided some inspiration for the "Indiana Jones" films.Belmondo is a playboy type, living on a ship, who is propelled into an adventure. There is no logical plot to speak of, just a continuous series of madcap events. Some incidents are entertaining, and others less so, but in any event the movie is best viewed with the brain set in neutral. The scenes involving a balloon and also the escapades on scaffolding are particularly amusing.Inspiration maybe, but comparisons to "Indiana Jones" would seem to be superficial. This movie is more light hearted, and Belmondo is more of a bumbler than a fearless adventurer. There is a scene with a vine bridge across a canyon, which was also part of "Temple of Doom's" plot, but that aside there are no obvious similarities.Ursula Andress however, appears on a beach in a white bikini very similar to the one she wore in "Dr. No".In summary, this is not bad if you don't mind a scattered but creative plot. See this if you have the chance just for the experience. It's fun, but not quite for everyone.K-Rating: 5/10