| Le Passe-muraille | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jean Boyer |
| Produced by | Jacques Bar, Robert Dorfmann |
| Written by | Michel Audiard and Marcel Aymé |
| Music by | Georges Van Parys |
| Cinematography | Charles Suin |
| Distributed by | Les Films Corona |
| Release date(s) | April 6, 1951 |
| Country | France / Italy |
| Language | French |
Mr. Peek-a-Boo or Le Passe-muraille is a 1951 French comedy farce film, directed by Jean Boyer. The film is based on the novel by Marcel Aymé about a "man who could walk through walls".[1] The film premiered on April 6, 1951.[2]
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A simple civil servant Léon, who has the unusual ability to walk through walls, falls madly in love with a hotel thief by the name of Susan. He poses as Garou-Garou, a dangerous gangster to attempt to woo her affections, but is arrested and sent to jail. While in jail he annoys the guards by walking in and out of his cell, and keeps persuading Susan to cease her criminal way of life. As fundamentally being an honest and law-abiding citizen, he eventually handles back everything he has stolen, is acquitted by the court, and becomes famous and respected. When he learns that Susan is planning to return to England and start a new life, he decides to confess to her his emotions. However, the couple is interrupted by a sudden rush of journalists. Trying to escape in a building, they get cornered on a corridor, and Léon pushes Susan through a nearby wall. But by doing this, he loses his own wall-walking ability, and the film concludes.
Le Passe-muraille launched the film career of its star, Bourvil, who at the time was only known as a stage comic and singer. Bourvil plays the character of Léon, an ordinary man of the street with particular affection for women, especially Joan Greenwood's character, Susan.
The film is noted for its surprising quality of the special effects which were in their infancy at the time this film was made.[3] The film was released in black and white although a colour version of the film also exists.