A fake murder publicity stunt goes so wrong it starts an international incident.
Two small-time song-and-dance men come up with what they believe is a surefire publicity stunt, guaranteed to keep their names in the public eye--one of them will "disappear" in what looks like a murder, and the other will be convicted of the crime. Then the "dead man" will suddenly show up at his partner's murder trial. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned. For one thing, no one seems to much care that the "dead man" is missing, and for another thing he's mistaken for the leader of a Balkan revolutionary group and is kidnapped by the other side.
Direction
Clair's playful camera work elevates farce to art.
Acting
Chevalier and Buchanan's effortless chemistry.
Production
1938's surprisingly sharp satire of media spectacle.
Director
René Clair
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released as Europe teetered toward war, the Balkan subplot quietly mirrors real political instability.
Buchanan and Chevalier were both huge stage stars; this was their only film together.
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