Review by ulicknormanowen

A French traveling theater troupe finds itself stranded in Aden during a foreign tour. The officers of the English garrison take the opportunity to woo the three stars who have landed in their city and Albine, the young first, becomes Captain Burton's mistress. In the meantime, and on the very day of the performance given by the troupe, the Prince of Khamarkhar arrived in Aden to sign a treaty with England. He attends the performance and appreciates everything...

Michel Boisrond 's works do not go in history ; the most watchable flicks remain his fifties comedies , "le chemin des écoliers" "cette sacrée gamine" or "un soir sur la plage " an intriguing thriller;afterward ,he would keep up with the fashions : yeah-yeah generation, spy thrillers , bourgeois sex liberation, even hateful male chauvinism .

I was expecting the worst from this exotic comedy ; much to my surprise, it's an enjoyable comedy thanks to a seasoned actors ;some kind of "Viva Maria" of the fifties , it's full of riotously funny scenes , of unexpected twists.

The way they butcher Shakepeare's "Othello" ,including extra -lines and the intrusive dog is just a joy ; the three unconscious soldiers who take the actresses to a picnic in a particularly dangerous valley are a poor man's Hathaway's Bengal lancers ; the commander of the garrison insists that scandal be avoided , assisted by a holier-than -thou minister with two twin nieces in tow , one of whom will be " dishonored ". The prince falls for charming actress Dany Robin but as far as the treaty is concerned ,he wonders how a woman (Queen Victoria!) can take an interest in politics.

A great cast and a good time is guaranteed for all!