When a recently fired policeman falls in love with a French prostitute, he doesn't want her to be with other men, so he creates an alter-ego in order to become her only customer.
Acting
Lemmon's dual-role mania; MacLaine's warmth cuts through the farce.
Production
Giant artificial Paris set—gloriously fake, deliberately theatrical.
Writing
Wilder/Diamond's crackerjack scenes with Moustache's running commentary.
Director
Billy Wilder
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The massive Parisian street set cost $1.2 million and was later reused for The Great Race.
Wilder fought the Hays Code to keep prostitution central; the film's frankness helped crack censorship just before the ratings system arrived.
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