Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

ksf-2 Simone Simon is "Elisabeth" in the deMaupassant story of a young french lady traveling in a coach with the upper class folks. This tale is SO watered down ... apparently the gal was original a prostitute, yet in this film, she is a "laundress" who keeps refusing to "have dinner" with the German soldiers. Even TCM's Ben Maniewicz chuckled at the changes required by the film code in effect at the time. At the beginning, the other travelers hailed the young lady for being such a patriot, and refusing to "eat" with the soldiers. Then, after she has relented under pressure, and "had dinner" with the soldier, they disdain her when they are allowed to continue on their way. Not sure whether they now saw HER in a different light, or maybe they were actually ashamed of themselves by coercing her to "have dinner" with the Germans. I did recognize Norma Varden... she was Piggy's wife in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". I also wondered about the soldier called "Madamoiselle Fifi"... was that more of an insult in the original story ? was he trying to prove his prowess with the women? why the "Madamoiselle" ? seems to be a parody of "fiefdom", one's own private territory. Also here is the story of the church bell, which is only rung when the underground has made progress. That subplot seems to be the opening and closing bookends of the story. One of Robert Wise's first jobs as director. Check out his list of films.. he sure did some biggies!

blanche-2 Simone Simon to me was always a fascinating woman. When I saw her on TV in Cat People, my mother told me that she had disappeared after the war. I was a kid, and I thought it was something mysterious. Years later I found out she just went back to France, where she lived to age 94.Simon doesn't play the title role here; Kurt Krueger does. She plays a laundress in a combination of two Guy De Maupassant stories about the Franco-Prussian war. They must have resonated during World War II.Simon's character hates the Prussians and doesn't go along with them, though many in the town do. The theme here is passive resistance, and how the poor make sacrifices for their country.The first part of the film takes place in a carriage and was supposedly the inspiration for "Stagecoach."Directed by Robert Wise and produced by, of all people, Val Lewton, this is a short film, mildly entertaining. Actually, Simon's life would make a much more exciting story. Men she liked were given a gold key to her bedroom; she had a relationship with an MI5 spy, Dusko Popov, who was in actuality a double agent. Popov was supposedly the model for James Bond. Simon also had an affair with George Gershwin. I have a feeling there are lots of other interesting stories to be told.

Hans C. Frederick There isn't too terribly much that I could add that hasn't already been said.However, to add on something for one of Profesor Lisistwitz's observations-yes the heroines in both stories were prostitutes but, given the state of the censorship codes at that time, their true profession(by the way, the world's oldest) wouldn't have been acceptable. In addition, most of the other critics have quite perceptively noticed and mentioned that the screenplay is based on two of Guy De Mauppassant' short stories, which have been quite cleverly put together.And this IS the genius of the scriptwriters.The humiliated girl in "Ball of Fat" come back to retaliate against the villain who humiliated her in the beginning.Well done!

panzerrune "The performances are mainly so-so but Simon, the beauty she is, can't do much. Her performance here is pretty bad and at times laughable due to her voice, which sounded really bad here. I've never been a big fan of hers but this is certainly the worst thing I've seen her do. " As i have quoted here from another IMDb user, and to shed some light. Simone Simon NEVER liked this movie. She did NOT like how her character was portrayed (due to censors) and she NEVER had anything to say good about this movie. This would at least explain why her character in this film falls flat for some viewers. She was under contract with RKO and she was friends with and cared a lot for Val Lewton, which explains why she took the role. I enjoy the movie for what it is, and do not read anything deeply dramatic about it. I am a Simone Simon fan so i enjoy the movie at least on that level.Thanks.