27 rue de la Paix

Some day,French cinema buffs should have a look at Richard Pottier's works.After all,he invented "some like it hot" !Wilder's movie was a remake of his "fanfare d'amour".)

"27,rue de la paix" is a strange detective story,which takes a slap at the popular press,which Billy Wilder would have loved -as he probably loved "fanfare d'amour" which was made around the short time he was working in France .There's no leads but a handful of characters ,none of whom is really the star of the movie.A necklace,an exhibit in a criminal affair, goes from hand to hand .

A rich elegant woman (Saint-Cyr) wants to divorce her womanizer hubby(Jules Berry).She calls one of her friends,a lawyer ,for help,but he is friend with the man too.The plot thickens when the husband's ex-lover is murdered.The ending is unexpected,but it is far-fetched all the same.

Entertaining though.

I like Richard Pottier. I find him quite inventive in his ways to tell a story and his attention to visual details and charades.

This movie doesn't disappoint on these matters.

Written by Carlo Rim and Jacques Prévert (who made the lyrics of a poor little song badly sung by Suzy Prim), the film is a bit hampered by the interpretation of the leads, and/or the lines they have to deliver.

Jean Galland and Renée Saint-Cyr sound like if they were on the stage of the "Folies dramatiques", Jules Berry is close to self-parody, Suzy Prim is, well… she's not very good.

But the whole set is saved by Signoret (Gabriel Signoret, not related with Simone), extremely touching, restrained and effective as the prosecutor. His part is the best thing of the movie, with naturally the pace and the elements of the story and the inquiry—though the final and far-fetched whodunit solution is some kind of a let down, like dbdumonteil already told.

Quite a watchable and entertaining movie, whose uneven interpretation can be forgotten or forgiven.