vincentlynch-moonoi
I'm generally not a fan of old British movies, although occasionally one comes along that is not stuffy and slow. This is one of those exceptions, and one worth of a Hitchcock treatment (and in fact, Hitchcock redid the film as an episode of his television series). It's an intriguing whodunit...or in this case who and what dunit. I cheated and read the reviews and plot line in advance, and I'm kinda glad I did...gave me a hint at what to watch for, although not knowing that might have been just an interesting.I also suddenly realized while watching the film that the lady hotel owner was also Cary Grant's grandmother in "An Affair To Remember". Of course, in this film she wasn't nice and sweet! The plot here is rather simple. A British brother and sister come to Paris for the 1889 World's Fair (and the introduction of the Eiffel Tower). They stay in a nice hotel, in separate rooms, and overnight her brother disappears...and so does his hotel room! Everyone acts as if she is a bit daft, but she realizes she must track down the truth. Just about when everything appears hopeless...about halfway through the film...along comes Dirk Bogarde to the rescue (we see Bogarde early in the film, but only briefly). He begins to pull the pieces of the puzzle together.Jean Simmons is excellent here, and she was well along in her career at this point. On the other hand, Dirk Bogarde was on the rise in his, and he makes a very good showing of himself here.One odd thing about this British movie is that because much of it takes place in Paris, many of the people in the film are speaking FRENCH...and there are no subtitles. Sometimes that heightens the suspense, other times it puts a damper on it.Top notch entertainment; highly recommended.
victoria-jes
I have always loved this film ever since it came out in England where I grew up. Saw it lots of times! One thing I noticed this time was that at the convent hospital, there was a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux. The film took place at the World's Fair in Paris in around 1889, or maybe sooner. At that time, Therese was not a saint; she was born in 1873 and died in 1897. She was not canonized until about 1925. Small point about continuity, but I have always been interested in that. I thought the rest of the mise en scene was excellent. When I first saw it, I thought it actually was filmed in France, but I see now on television that it could not have been. The sets were very convincing. The story of the vanishing relative may not be new, but it was charmingly done, and Dirk Bogarde was many a young girl's dream in those days. I tend to watch the film every time I see it on TCM.
moonspinner55
Fascinating film from Britain's Rank/Gainsborough Pictures, slyly written by Hugh Mills and Anthony Thorne, has young woman from Naples traveling with her stuffy brother to Paris in 1889 for the Exposition, only to awaken the next morning in their hotel to find her sibling strangely missing. Plot-line has since been well-trodden, and probably wasn't completely fresh in 1950, however the mechanics of the situation are engrossing due in no small part to the direction and performances. Jean Simmons, in both period dress and costume for the festivities, looks very beautiful and handles the high drama with aplomb (though perhaps giving her Vicky Barton more dialogue might have made the character even sharper). Dirk Bogarde, as a painter who met the missing man quite by chance the night he vanished, is excellent teaming up with Simmons to play detective. Stylish, enjoyable film plays fair with the audience to a large degree; a few far-fetched incidents, including a head-scratching balloon disaster, don't detract from the fun. *** from ****
blanche-2
"So Long at the Fair" is one of my favorite films. It combines mystery and suspense, my favorite genres, with two of my favorite stars, Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde, both quite young and beautiful here.Simmons is a young woman, Victoria Barton, who accompanies her brother, Johnny Barton (David Tomlinson), to Paris for what appears to be the 1889 Expo. The morning after they arrive at their hotel, not only has Victoria's brother disappeared, but so has his hotel room. Everyone claims that she arrived alone. She eventually discovers that a handsome artist (Bogarde) borrowed money from Johnny the night of their arrival, and he works with her to find proof that her brother existed and that his existence, for some reason, is being covered up by the hotel.As others have mentioned, variations of this story have been told before - "The Lady Vanishes," "Dangerous Crossing," and even "Gaslight," but the denouement of each of these stories is different from one another and from "So Long at the Fair," so one can enjoy all of the films.Bogarde and Simmons make a stunning couple, and the film has many nice touches - the hot air balloon scene and the part that takes place during the masked ball being two. Honor Blackman is a woman interested in the Bogarde character, and Felix Aylmer is the British consulate.Based on a true story, "So Long at the Fair" is a wonderful, intriguing film that's not to be missed.
AD
