Memorable, crazy movie

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I have been a fan of Feydeau farces for a long time. I have read many and seen quite a few produced. How I missed this movie for so long is a complete mystery to me. Whether she can act or not, Gina L is a pure delight. I thought she was exactly right in this role. This is the one of the few times I have seen Alec Guinness as this type of character. But he is always on top of it, whether as a ladies man or as a priest. This movie is a little slow getting off the ground, but stay with it. After the various characters are introduced it is pure Feydeau the rest of the way. As in his other works there is a lot of assignation planned, but no consummation. I would like to give a 10 rating but even though this is a fun romp, it it not quite excellent. Too bad I can't vote 9.5

Would-be Romeo Benedict Boniface (Alec Guinness) talks luscious neighbor, Marcelle Cot (Gina Lollobrigida), into having a tryst with him to get revenge with her husband. Henry Cot goes away many nights on business - really. The infidelity of Benedict and Marcelle is never consummated, so to speak. The events that follow at the Hotel Paradisio see to that.Robert Morley plays Henri Cot and Peggy Mount plays Angelique Boniface, as the innocent spouses of the two would-be adulterers. But others add to the frolicking fun in this farce. Ann Beach is particularly good as Victoire, the maid to the Bonifaces, and Duggie Byng is very good as Monsieur Martin. The movie isn't filled with clever dialog, nor does it have much slapstick. Mostly, the humor comes from the plot that has people running into one another unexpectedly. Guinness is the funniest as the choreographer of hide and seek, dodge and dart. It's a funny film of cat and mouse, hide and seek, and peekaboo. Unfortunately, these seem to come in spurts so there isn't a sense of running humor to the film. This is a light farce that has some very funny moments in the hotel and later. Several of the characters have been released after being taken to jail in a police raid of the hotel. The film is filled with innuendo, and has a couple of risqué scenes of overweight women in a floor show and in hotel rooms. "Hotel Paradisio" should be a safe film for mature teens. The ending is a hoot and accounts for the character of Georges Feydeau (played by Peter Glenville) whom the miscreants seem to bump into so frequently. Glenville directed the film. The real Feydeau wrote the 1894 play that is the basis for this movie.

I have seen some plays by Feydeau performed by amateurs. Feydeau was a very good writer. He was familiar with the lack of morals in the upper crust society, and he could make people laugh at it. He knew because he belonged there himself. It's recorded that he had one or two mistresses himself!In this film adaption of one of his more famous plays, the costumes and set designs are very good. The period feeling is impressive. The acting is so-so. Guiness has the best part and does the best acting. Others try hard, but the results feel half-baked. I blame this on the direction, or more likely the lack thereof.Fans of classic farce, screwball comedy and periodic portraits will be delighted. A couple of in-jokes related to Feydeau's works can be found which will please literature scholars.

Yes, Fellow User, most of us are quite aware of the definition of "farce." The French are certainly known for their "farces," ahem, but they have never appealed to me - neither France, nor farce.Certainly, the film displays great production values, and fine acting, but unless you truly love the genre, the interest level grinds to a complete halt by mid-point. Why it supposedly requires great intellect to comprehend the "farce," I'll never know. Add Tootie and Blair, and you have "The Facts of Life Goes to Paris." I'll take good, solid repartee between Hepburn and Tracy any old day. Silliness simply does not suffice.