ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Spoonixel Amateur movie with Big budget

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

moonspinner55 Fascinating film from Britain's Rank/Gainsborough Pictures, slyly written by Hugh Mills and Anthony Thorne, has young woman from Naples traveling with her stuffy brother to Paris in 1889 for the Exposition, only to awaken the next morning in their hotel to find her sibling strangely missing. Plot-line has since been well-trodden, and probably wasn't completely fresh in 1950, however the mechanics of the situation are engrossing due in no small part to the direction and performances. Jean Simmons, in both period dress and costume for the festivities, looks very beautiful and handles the high drama with aplomb (though perhaps giving her Vicky Barton more dialogue might have made the character even sharper). Dirk Bogarde, as a painter who met the missing man quite by chance the night he vanished, is excellent teaming up with Simmons to play detective. Stylish, enjoyable film plays fair with the audience to a large degree; a few far-fetched incidents, including a head-scratching balloon disaster, don't detract from the fun. *** from ****

edwagreen Curious film dealing with where is he?Jean Simmons and David Tomlinson star as brother and sister in this one who go to Paris from London to view the 1889 French Exposition. Tomlinson mysteriously disappears and the film is devoted to looking for him. Trouble is that no one at the hotel will corroborate Simmons' story and she is made to appear as emotionally unbalanced.Cathleen Nesbitt has a juicy supporting role as the hotel innkeeper. Many film shots of her make you think of Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca." She has that sinister Danvers look, yet is never allowed to totally breakthrough.Dirk Bogarde is convincing in the romantic lead. While you'd think that the reason for the disappearance had to do with espionage or something just as enticing, the ending is a bit of a downer. While it is plausible, it really wasn't that exciting.This film was a good one but lacked the extra push that was so needed at the end.

kidboots This film is based on a true event and it was a remake of another film but definitely not one that many people would have seen. Mayfair Pictures released a film called "Midnight Warning" (1932). Instead of the French Exposition, it was set in a luxury New York Hotel and starred Claudia Dell and William "Stage" Boyd. I was just amazed when I saw it - I thought "this was the original!!!". It was an okay film, but not a patch on this beautifully produced 1950 version that starred Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde.A bubbling, enthusiastic Victoria Barton (Jean Simmons) is accompanying her brother Johnny (David Tomlinson) on a trip to the Paris Exposition of 1889. The first night Johnny takes her to a cafe and the Moulin Rouge but he is strangely tired. The next morning he has disappeared and the hotel staff deny any knowledge that he was ever there. Room 19 is now a bathroom!! Jean Simmons is marvellous in this early role and showed the acting ability that she would be noted for in her later career.There is a conspiracy against her - she goes to the British Consel and is urged to find the lady's maid that met her brother but Nina (Zena Marshall) is going up with her fiancée in a hot air balloon and is involved in a ghastly accident mid air. The hotel manager is following her and he and his wife are able to convince the chief of police that she is not well. Catherine Nesbitt is very convincing as the inscrutable concierge.But somebody has met Johnny Barton. George Hathaway (Dirk Bogarde) had borrowed cab fare off him the first night and the next day tries to return it. Victoria finds a letter from him just before she is due to go to the station - asking if Johnny and his sister would join him for a meal. Victoria goes to George's studio (he is an artist) to beg his help. George decides to do some detective work - he books into the hotel and snoops around. He thinks the room numbers have been swapped and although he finds the real Room 19, it has been completely boarded up. Victoria does find her brother's pipe on the mantle - now she is beginning to be believed."So Long at the Fair" is a superlative mystery - you will not guess the outcome but it is completely believable.Highly Recommended.

Jem Odewahn This is an entertaining, engaging little thriller that is very satisfying, thanks to the convincing performance of the lovely leading lady Jean Simmons, the good direction from Darnborough and Fisher, and the impeccably tight screenplay.Simmons plays a young woman, Vicky Barton, who, while visiting Paris at the time of the World Fair in 1896, loses her brother, Johnny. The film revolves around Simmon's attempts to find him, her fear and uncertainty over whether or not he really is missing at all, and her falling in love with a nice young artist George (Dirk Bogarde), who is the only one who believes her story. The film culminates in a satisfying, logical conclusion befitting the circumstances.I liked this late-period Gainsbourough film a lot (how different it is from the earlier productions). Simmons is gorgeous and a very young Bogarde matches up well with her. Perhaps the film is lacking in character development (from the moment Simmons meets Bogarde we just know they will fall in love), giving way to the riveting plot, but that's just part of the fun.Hitchcock apparently was a great admirer of this film. I find that interesting as this film actually resembles Hitchock's 1938 film "The Lady Vanishes"! I can see why Hitchcock admired this one though, with its careful crafting of suspense and elegantly directed scenes. Darnborough and Fisher also pull of a feat that Hitchcock himself had trouble with- a costume picture.A great little picture. Highly recommend.