If you are going to appreciate this film,you'd best forget all about all those exciting films noirs and all those charming comedies Henri Decoin had made before ,because the great director certainly has.In other words, his fans may be disappointed .
First thing to bear in mind is that is mainly a vehicle for dancer Zizi Jeanmaire, with her husband Roland Petit 's choregraphy ;and that if Eddie Constantine occasionally would sing, he is not up to scratch in a musical ;his field is the thriller and he seems ill-at-ease in the Folies-Bergères, as an artist that is.
People fond of musicals may enjoy the dance numbers some of them at the beginning bearing more than a distant resemblance to "an American in Paris".
Anyway ,Constantine plays a GI ,thus an American in Paris ;at the beginning of the movie ,he did not speak a single world in French,and overnight, he's fluent in the language and he's ready to become an artist in the show.
The piano player (Yves Robert)does speak English ,but when he translates all Zizi's words,he only says " she loves you" .
Fortunately there's a little humor !In the wings ,Eddie opens the doors and catches unawares a naked woman and a couple of gays in their dressing-room.
In a nutshell: musicals fans can have a look,but Decoin's fan would wisely pass this up!
Decoin would work with Jeanmaire again in 1957;this time the screenplay was written by Charles Spaak ,and it's more palatable for the director's admirers.
