The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)

To me, this movie is perfection.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

THE MAN ON THE EIFFEL TOWER is an adaptation of one of Georges Simenon's detective novels featuring the Poirot-alike detective, Maigret. It features a headlining Charles Laughton playing Maigret himself, but oddly Laughton is the weakest part of the movie and can do nothing with the part. He just sort of wanders around and simpers without doing anything in the way of crime fighting.The murder story is a little better, once it gets going. It sees a wealthy aunt murdered and the finger of suspicion falling on a down-on-his-luck knife grinder, played by Burgess Meredith who was old even at this early stage of his career. Meredith does his best to elude capture by the police, but Maigret suspects another man, played by the delightfully urbane Franchot Tone, is responsible.If I'm honest, THE MAN ON THE EIFFEL TOWER isn't really up to much as a detective story. The pace is plodding, the story underdeveloped, and the characters largely unlikeable. Where it succeeds is in the visuals, which are frequently stunning. This was an early colour production that brings a teeming, bustling Paris to life and is sure to have location photography at all of the major places, bringing them to life. Even better, the film features a series of tense chase sequences which frequently use high-rise locales to their advantage. The Eiffel Tower-set climax is the best remembered of the bunch, but I preferred a rooftop chase that takes place halfway through and is like an early Parkour scene. David Belle, eat your heart out!

A real curio but a terrible film. For years it was thought that "The Man on the Eiffel Tower" was lost until two worn out copies were discovered and restored, after a fashion, by UCLA. It's based on a Georges Simenon Maigret novel and was filmed on location in post-war Paris by Burgess Meredith on Ansco Reversal Film, no original elements of which exist today, (the location work is terrific, the color process considerably less so).Meredith also appears as the prime suspect in a double murder that Charles Laughton's Maigret is investigating. The real killer, however, is psychopathic Franchot Tone. Both he and Meredith look very uncomfortable in their roles though Laughton is excellent and comes close to redeeming the picture, (close but not close enough). The real star, of course, is Paris and its number one tourist attraction which features prominently in the films climax. Of historical interest, then but hardly worth seeing.

"The Man on the Eiffel Tower" is in the public domain. Because of this, the film is owned by no one and it's hardly likely anyone would ever think of restoring it. It's a shame, as the color print is a mess--so faded it almost looks like it was filmed in sepia!This film is a strange murder mystery that is investigated by the famed French detective, Inspector Maigret (Charles Laughton). It's an odd one. On one hand, they've caught a guy who was clearly in the house around the time of the murder (Burgess Meredith). However, he seems an unlikely man to have butchered the two women in the home. Instead, it is possible that the rich lady's heir might have had something to do with it. Additionally, a really loopy guy (Franchot Tone) sure acts guilty--but they have nothing on him. What's next? See the film...or don't bother.The reason I wanted to watch the film is that I am currently in Paris and just last night went on the Eiffel Tower--so it sure seemed like an opportune moment. However, in addition to a dirty print, the film's problems often overshadowed the good. As for the good, the performance by Laughton was nice and seeing the actual streets of Paris was very nice. But, on the other hand, Tone's performance was so ridiculously over the top that it looked almost like it was meant as a comedy---but it wasn't. Plus, the finale on the Eiffel Tower SHOULD have been better but seeing Tone climb the tower faster than any marathon runner was utterly ridiculous! All in all, a film that isn't bad...it just isn't very good either.

I was disappointed at the criticisms that this film inspired. So much of it is correct but not true. Admittedly I'm a huge fan of Georges Simenon in general & his Maigret novels in particular. The book A Man's Head, upon which this film is based, is one of the more intriguing, challenging and existential of the Maigret series. There are others; see The Tavern by the Seine. The film is similarly evocative: of Paris, 1949, of a weird mystery, of extremely odd characters--and some ordinary characters that involve themselves in extraordinary circumstance. The 1st time I watched the DVD I was distracted by the disintegrated production value, but not enough to refrain from recommending it to friends, to watching it repeatedly, to buy it as a b'day gift for a valued, long-term friend. I can only hope that the series of what are basically negative reviews won't discourage others from the pleasure of watching this film. And listed amongst the credits is indeed The City of Paris.