PARIS HOLIDAY (DVD) (BOB HOPE) DVD

Paris Holiday
Two of filmdom's finest farceurs--Hollywood's Bob Hope and France's Fernandel--are teamed in the location-filmed Paris Holiday. Since Hope coauthored the script, however, guess which actor has the largest part. Cast more or less as himself, Hope plays an American comedian who comes to Paris to purchase a script. Little does his suspect that the script contains secret messages pertaining to a vicious gang of counterfeiters. With the help of villainess-turned-heroine Anita Ekberg, Hope is committed to an insane asylum to protect him from the bad guys; he then must rely upon Fernandel to spring him from the looney bin. Throughout Paris Holiday, Bob Hope looks too old and too rich to be indulging in such nonsense. Film buffs will enjoy the brief, unbilled appearance by famed producer-director-writer Preston Sturges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Bob Hope as Robert Leslie Hunter Fernandel as Fernydel Anita Ekberg as Zara Martha Hyer as Ann McCall Preston Sturges as Serge Vitry Andre Morell as American Ambassador Alan Gifford as Bit Player Maurice Teynac as Dr. Bernais Yves Brainville as Inspector Dupont Jean Murat as Judge

Crew Pierre Balmain - Costume Designer Paul Feyder - First Assistant Director Gerd Oswald - Director Ellsworth Hoagland - Editor Joseph L. Lilley - Composer (Music Score) Joseph Lilley - Composer (Music Score) Joseph Lilley - Musical Direction/Supervision Sammy Cahn - Songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen - Songwriter Georges Wakhévitch - Production Designer Roger Hubert - Cinematographer Bob Hope - Producer Robert Hope - Producer Francis J. Scheid - Sound/Sound Designer Dean Riesner - Screenwriter Edmund Beloin - Screenwriter

Paris Holiday
Paris Holiday is a passable Bob Hope comedy, but definitely one that should have been much better than it is. By 1957, when Paris was made, Hope had started on the decline that would plague most of his films from that point on. The comedian was still as sharp as ever, with admirable timing and the ability to toss off a zinger that was still something to see, but the character that he had developed for the past two decades -- a cowardly yet cheeky fellow who finds himself mixed up in situations he doesn't really understand -- didn't seem to suit him as he aged. He became a little too self-aware, and much of the naturalness and spontaneity that is found in the earlier films is missing. It doesn't help matters that Paris is very sloppily put together, with bits and pieces that were shown to much better advantage in earlier films. Hope's co-star, the French comic Fernandel, is good but doesn't get the chance to make the strong impression that his reputation leads one to expect. As for the women, Martha Hyer and Anita Ekberg look simply stunning, which is all that is required of them -- but they also manage to turn in solid work within the confines of the script. Gerd Oswald's direction is okay but uninspired; its biggest failing is in the climactic courtroom scene, which simply lacks the comedic rhythm that it demands. Paris Holiday doesn't sparkle, but it has some decent laughs along the way. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: 1: PCM mono 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects Additional Features: Full screen access Bob Hope biography Filmography Interactive menus MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 100 min Part of Series: Bob Hope Film Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 0. Scene Access 1. Chapter 1. [4:15] 2. Chapter 2. [14:12] 3. Chapter 3. [10:33] 4. Chapter 4. [12:16] 5. Chapter 5. [12:15] 6. Chapter 6. [5:56] 7. Chapter 7. [6:28] 8. Chapter 8. [9:45]