During World War II, two French civilians and a downed British Bomber Crew set out from Paris to cross the demarcation line between Nazi-occupied Northern France and the South. From there they will be able to escape to England. First, they must avoid German troops – and the consequences of their own blunders.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.4/10
IMDb: 7.9/10
Letterboxd: 4.02/5
TMDB: 7.9/10
Director
Gérard Oury
Production
Les Films Corona, The Rank Organisation, Lowndes Productions Limited
Cast
Bourvil, Louis de Funès, Terry-Thomas, Claudio Brook, Mike Marshall, Marie Dubois, Pierre Bertin, Andréa Parisy, Mary Marquet, Colette Brosset, Benno Sterzenbach, Henri Génès, Paul Préboist, Sieghardt Rupp, Guy Grosso, Michel Modo, Rudy Lenoir, Jacques Bodoin, Helmuth Schneider, Hans Meyer
Curator Review
Verdict
A buoyant, big-scale wartime comedy that turns occupation, resistance, and Allied escape into fast-moving farce. Its appeal is the chemistry between the leads, the escalating misunderstandings, and the way it keeps the tone light without losing the WWII backdrop.
Best for
fans of classic French comedy
viewers who like war stories with a playful, anti-authoritarian edge
people who enjoy broad physical comedy and ensemble farce
audiences looking for a crowd-pleasing older film with strong rewatch value
Skip if
you want a serious or historically sober WWII drama
you dislike slapstick, exaggeration, and highly theatrical performances
you prefer modern pacing or understated humor
you need constant emotional realism or moral complexity
Overview
Gérard Oury’s comedy is built on momentum: every escape plan, disguise, and act of improvisation seems one mistake away from collapse, which is exactly why it works. The film uses the wartime setting as a pressure cooker for absurdity, letting class differences, national stereotypes, and bureaucratic chaos collide in a way that still feels sharp and generous.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the balance between spectacle and personality. Bourvil’s easygoing warmth plays beautifully against Louis de Funès’ frantic precision, while Terry-Thomas adds a wonderfully pompous outsider note. The humor is broad, but the timing is disciplined, and the set pieces keep escalating without losing clarity.
Bottom line
It’s also a remarkably audience-friendly film for something made so close to the war it satirizes. Rather than leaning into bitterness, it turns survival into communal mischief, making the Nazis look foolish and the civilians resourceful. If you like classic comedy that moves with confidence and scale, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
layzon (4★) · 440 likes
comment ça merde alors? but alors you are french??
RentonDuc (3★) · 370 likes
Cacher du saucisson dans le tiroir à sous-vêtements cest ça MA FRANCE
Yury (5★) · 277 likes
Another example of someone's life being significantly negatively impacted by meeting a British person.
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3.5★) · 138 likes
119th Review for The Collab Weekly Movie Watch
As it seems to be the case with many of my fellow COLLABers, I came into this movie about a group of RAF crew members who accidentally land in Nazi-invaded France and go through a lot of situations to escape alive with the help of some French folks, with not the most positive mindset. I had my doubts on whether I was going to enjoy this, and the beginning seemed like it… more
1926 · Action, Adventure, Comedy · 1h 19m · NR · Curator 9.1/10 (214.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kino Film Collection
For pure physical comedy, precision staging, and a hero repeatedly undone by circumstance.
1959 · Comedy, Romance, Crime · 2h 3m · NR · Curator 9.7/10 (658.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A masterclass in disguise comedy, timing, and escalating romantic and criminal confusion.