This film is now (October 2007) available in DVD from SPAIN from online stores such as DVDGO under the title Inocentes en Paris with English and Spanish language tracks and optional Spanish subtitles. Why it should be available in that country and not in the UK is a total mystery to me !
In the early 1950's a motley group of English tourists fly off to visit Paris for a weekend. The film retraces what happens to each of them during their short stay in Paris. The film includes well-known English and French actors at the time, such as Alastair Sim, Jimmy Edwards, Louis de Funès, Claude Dauphin, Claire Bloom, Gaby Bruyère etc.
It's a chance to see Paris during its "golden age" the 1950's ( so different from nowadays ! ). Parts of the film are very romantic and touching, notably the "idylles" between the young scotsman and Raymonde, Gaby Bruyère and Dicky Bird, Claire Bloom and Claude Dauphin. There are also very funny moments, notably with Alastair Sim as the international negotiator trying to reach agreement with his Russian counterpart by making him sign on a table cloth.........and Margaret Rutherford and her Mona Lisa......... !!!
The film is a pure piece of anthology of the fifties, and I would dearly recommend it to all, like me, who hanker after films of this era. It has undeniable charm and such a film could not be made nowadays as everything including Paris has become so much more cosmopolitan. The quintessentially French atmosphere of Paris at the time is preserved for posterity on this film as in reality it exists no more. We see larger-than-life characters from Paris, such as the huge butcher, the concierge etc.
I especially loved De Funès as the taxi driver - one of the rare times this actor has appeared in a British Film.
In the early 1950's a motley group of English tourists fly off to visit Paris for a weekend. The film retraces what happens to each of them during their short stay in Paris. The film includes well-known English and French actors at the time, such as Alastair Sim, Jimmy Edwards, Louis de Funès, Claude Dauphin, Claire Bloom, Gaby Bruyère etc.
It's a chance to see Paris during its "golden age" the 1950's ( so different from nowadays ! ). Parts of the film are very romantic and touching, notably the "idylles" between the young scotsman and Raymonde, Gaby Bruyère and Dicky Bird, Claire Bloom and Claude Dauphin. There are also very funny moments, notably with Alastair Sim as the international negotiator trying to reach agreement with his Russian counterpart by making him sign on a table cloth.........and Margaret Rutherford and her Mona Lisa......... !!!
The film is a pure piece of anthology of the fifties, and I would dearly recommend it to all, like me, who hanker after films of this era. It has undeniable charm and such a film could not be made nowadays as everything including Paris has become so much more cosmopolitan. The quintessentially French atmosphere of Paris at the time is preserved for posterity on this film as in reality it exists no more. We see larger-than-life characters from Paris, such as the huge butcher, the concierge etc.
I especially loved De Funès as the taxi driver - one of the rare times this actor has appeared in a British Film.