Papa, the Lil' Boats (1971) User Reviews

Dreary French hostage caper

[John_Mclaren · 2/10 · 22 November 2005]

This dreary French hostage caper was filmed by Nelly Caplan in 1971. She made some interesting movies, but this isn't one of them.

Venus is a wealthy and wacky heiress, who gets kidnapped by 4 idiotic French wannabe gangsters.

They are gradually manipulated and eliminated by her. Laughed? I nearly died of indifference....

Anyway, if you want violence, gore, sex or skin, you will find none of them here. Just a silly dolly bird in eccentric dresses being chased around her hostage cell by the madcap hostage takers.

I'd try something else...

burlesque hostage with sexy Sheila White.

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 7/10 · 22 September 2018]

Another french comedy, but an unusual one, directed by Nelly kaplan who did the cult "la Fiancée du Pirate" with so regretted Bernadette Laffont. The main character is played by delicious Sheila White, she is the daughter of a rich man and is kidnapped by four stupid hoodlums, and she'll get fun with them. Just for her performance, I highly recommend this comedy for discovering her fresh, sexy and unknown silhouette and voice, and there are some delightful burlesque sequences.

A Hell of a popping' film !

[vandenphil · 10/10 · 10 April 2008]

This film can only be seen in the French language for Sheila White's voice is such a charming little thing to a Frenchman's ear. This said, let's turn to the film. It must not be watched as a serious one. Everything in it pertains to parody. Faithful to the late 60s tendency of blending genres - Casino Royale, Candy, Mel Brook's movies and so on - this film is a hotchpotch of so many things. Just imagine Demy's Peau-d'Ane played by Tex Averie's mad creatures . Add a drop of Betty Boop, some Théâtre de Boulevard, a spoonfool of Popeye and just enjoy Michel Bouquet uttering his 'Je suis de la race qui chante dans le supplice'. This film is great but seems to have been ignored at its release. Give it a new chance, it definitely deserves it.