During World War II, two French civilians and a downed British Bomber Crew set out from Paris to cross the demarcation line between Nazi-occupied Northern France and the South. From there they will be able to escape to England. First, they must avoid German troops – and the consequences of their own blunders.

Augustin Bouvet

Stanislas Lefort

Reginald Brook

Peter Cunningham

Alan MacIntosh

Juliette

Juliette's Grandfather

Marie-Odile

Ms. Germaine

Major Achbach

Keeper of Vincennes Zoo

Fisherman

Lieutenant Sturmer

Talkative Bassoonist

Cross-eyed Soldier

German Soldier

Opera Singer Playing Mephistopheles

German Officer in Dining Car

Otto Weber
I'd watched this entertainingly farcical French wartime comedy for about half hour before I realised that the chap who looked like Terry-Thomas was, actually, Terry-Thomas! He, like everyone else here, is in his element as an RAF bomber crew find themselves shot down over Paris and dependent on a rather disparate selection of people to try and keep them from the hands of the Gestapo, and to help smuggle them out of the city and to some semblance of safety. It has all the hallmarks of a slightly less bawdy "Carry-On" film with some characterful performances from Bouvril ("Bouvet") and the increasingly amusing Louis de Funès as the suitably over-the-top orchestral maestro "Lefort". Neither gent is really equipped to guide our hapless trio of airmen out of their own bathrooms, much less from the grasp of the Nazis - but with the help of some silk parachutes, cunning disguises, nuns and horses - well who'd bet against them? Unlike many other films of this genre, this is actually funny. Sure, you can readily predict what is likely to happen, and some of the misunderstandings do have you wondering how was that even possible, but the ensemble cast including an on form Andréa Parisy and Benno Sterzenbach as the (no so) menacing "Maj. Achbach" give this just a soupçon of class that belies it's roots. Dated? Well yes, but still surprisingly enjoyable to watch.
December 8, 1966

Augustin Bouvet

Stanislas Lefort

Reginald Brook

Peter Cunningham

Alan MacIntosh

Juliette

Juliette's Grandfather

Marie-Odile

Ms. Germaine

Major Achbach

Keeper of Vincennes Zoo

Fisherman

Lieutenant Sturmer

Talkative Bassoonist

Cross-eyed Soldier

German Soldier

Opera Singer Playing Mephistopheles

German Officer in Dining Car

Otto Weber
I'd watched this entertainingly farcical French wartime comedy for about half hour before I realised that the chap who looked like Terry-Thomas was, actually, Terry-Thomas! He, like everyone else here, is in his element as an RAF bomber crew find themselves shot down over Paris and dependent on a rather disparate selection of people to try and keep them from the hands of the Gestapo, and to help smuggle them out of the city and to some semblance of safety. It has all the hallmarks of a slightly less bawdy "Carry-On" film with some characterful performances from Bouvril ("Bouvet") and the increasingly amusing Louis de Funès as the suitably over-the-top orchestral maestro "Lefort". Neither gent is really equipped to guide our hapless trio of airmen out of their own bathrooms, much less from the grasp of the Nazis - but with the help of some silk parachutes, cunning disguises, nuns and horses - well who'd bet against them? Unlike many other films of this genre, this is actually funny. Sure, you can readily predict what is likely to happen, and some of the misunderstandings do have you wondering how was that even possible, but the ensemble cast including an on form Andréa Parisy and Benno Sterzenbach as the (no so) menacing "Maj. Achbach" give this just a soupçon of class that belies it's roots. Dated? Well yes, but still surprisingly enjoyable to watch.

