Tous les chemins mènent à Rome (1949)
Directed by Jean Boyer

Film Review

Over-the-top performances from Gérard Philipe and Micheline Presle makes this an entertaining farce which, despite some ludicrous plot developments, is a moderate to good example of 1940s French film comedy.

It is by no means Jean Boyer's best film - some of the humour is little tired and the film suffers by not being able to make up its mind whether it is an out-and-out farce or a traditional comedy romance.  Although neither performer is at his or her best, Philipe and Presle make an interesting pairing and have no trouble engaging the audience, even if the characters they play are outrageously implausible stereotypes.

Film Synopsis

On her way to Rome, Laura Lee, a well-known American actress, is determined to avoid the sensation-hungry journalists who are constantly on her tail.  So, once her ship has docked at a French port, she slips away, hoping that no one will notice her.  She then decides to rehearse a scene from her next film in a telephone booth, but in doing so she arouses the interest of a man who becomes convinced that she is in some kind of danger.  The man in question is Gabriel Pégase, a mathematical genius who is on his way to Rome, to attend a conference on advanced geometry with his sister.

Being a little too fond of detective fiction of the more lurid kind, Gabriel has an over-active imagination that leads to him to think that Laura is being pursued by armed hoodlums.  The actress can hardly believe her good fortune: Gabriel is just the man she needs!  She could not have asked for a more suitable escort to accompany her to Rome - with his help she is bound to avoid drawing the attention of the infuriating paparazzi.  Unfortunately, the journey turns out to be far more eventful than she might have hoped, as Gabriel has a nasty habit of getting himself into trouble...