It was Tony Perkins 'second film with a French director :the first one was André Cayatte 's "le glaive et la balance"("two are guilty") , an unfairly trashed thriller;René Clément had previously directed him in 1958 ,but it was an American production in which he was dubbed for the French version;by 1964 ,his French had vastly improved ,he was fluent in Victor Hugo's language which he spoke with a very light accent .
With the exception of "the matchmaker' it was also his first comedy : although anodyne ,it was certainly an act of self-renewal ,although the ghost of Norman Bates would follow him till his last breath (his last role " a demon in my view" is revealing)
In the comedy field ,against all odds, Perkins reveals himself a very gifted actor ,and his perfect command of French helps .His pairing with France 's most famous sex symbol of all time proved successfull. BB was peerless when it came to playing naive bimbos, (apparently) dumb bubblehead girls (see also " Babette S'En Va-t-En Guerre" ,"Viva Maria" ) It's sometimes useful to pass for a ravishing idiot,particularly when your car carries a Russian spy dead body and you are subject to egregious gaffes.
The screenplay is a spy thriller spoof ,with a far-fetched plot-though a warning reads :" this is based on a true story" ,before the cast and credits - ,it's sometimes hard to decipher the cock and bull screenplay (and the way BB sees it is riotously funny. As for Perkins,he is overtaken by events all the time ) .But I dare you to guess the final unexpected twist of this "avalanche project affair".
Another stand-out is Helene Dieudonné's mamie, a granny who never loses her British upper lip -although ,like her granddaughter ,she's not British at all- even when her life is at stake !
