As befits the man who was called Monsieur 100,000 volts, Gilbert Bécaud displays all the charm and magnetism he was famous for in this film; he is playing two characters, Julien Barrière and Éric Perceval. One is a drifter with no fear, the other is a timid pianist in the cabaret run by a very jovial Gabriello. The lovely Françoise Arnoul is courted by both men. The plot is unnecessarily complex: there is Julien's evil uncle Ludovic (Jean Toulout) who wants Julien to do something--don't know what really--and three louts keep turning up wanting to beat Julien up. Françoise Arnoul as Marinette the waitress is the soul of charm: here she is playing a nice girl instead of the vixens she became known for.
I give ten stars for Bécaud and the rest of the superb cast, but only four for Carné's uninspired direction, the fake sets and the candy-floss color cinematography. Carné is trying to repeat the successes of the past and it does not work; a more improvisational feeling, relying more on Bécaud's magnetism would have been better.
As befits the man who was called Monsieur 100000 volts Gilbert Bécaud displays all the charm and magnetism he was famous for in this film; he is playing two characters Julien Barrière and Éric Perceval. One is a drifter with no fear the other is a timid pianist in the cabaret run by a very jovial Gabriello. The lovely Françoise Arnoul is courted by both men. The plot is unn...