The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)

Director:

Burgess Meredith

Writers:

Harry Brown (writer)
Georges Simenon (novel)

Release Date:

12 December 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

PARIS As You've Never Seen It Before!

Plot:

In Paris, a down and out medical student Johann Radek (Franchot Tone) is paid by Bill Kirby (Robert Hutton) to murder his wealthy aunt...

Plot Keywords:

Eiffel Tower Paris | Remake | Maigret | Paris France | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Charles Laughton	...	Inspector Jules Maigret
Franchot Tone	...	Johann Radek
Burgess Meredith	...	Joseph Heurtin
Robert Hutton	...	Bill Kirby
Jean Wallace	...	Edna Wallace
Patricia Roc	...	Helen Kirby
Belita	...	Gisella Heurtin
George Thorpe	...	Comelieu
William Phipps	...	Janvier
William Cottrell	...	Moers
Chaz Chase	...	Waiter
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Professor Grollet

Also Known As:

Homme de la tour Eiffel, L' (France)

Runtime:

97 min | USA:87 min (DVD)

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Anscocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Unrated | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

A&T Film Production (Allen-Tone)

Trivia:

There were various production problems on this picture, including Charles Laughton's threatening to walk off the picture if the original director, Irving Allen (who was also one of the film's producers) wasn't replaced (star Burgess Meredith eventually replaced him as director). Allen himself was very dissatisfied with the final results. After its initial run, he bought the film rights back from RKO and kept the prints out of circulation for a long time. Many believed that the film was lost, even Meredith. However, it has been recently released on VHS and can be relatively easily found at rental stores.

Quotes:

Inspector Jules Maigret: [to Johann Radek] By the way - there's one thing I'd like to know. Am I following you, or are you following me?

Movie Connections:

Remake of Tête d'un homme, La (1933)

Mad Am I?

While perhaps not all that good, The Man on the Eiffel Tower is nonetheless entertaining and not nearly as bad as some have offered. Yes, the direction is less than inspiring throughout much of the picture. Burgess Meredith doesn't really seem to get a grasp on creating tension but more importantly some kind of depth for his characters. Charles Laughton, the rotund actor who I personally have never seen give a bad performance, plays the legendary Inspector Maigret from the Georges Simenon novels. I have not read them and therefore an ill-equipped to make any comparisons. I do think Laughton gave the best performance in the film even though, yes, you might say if was a bit off-kilter and subdued even for him. Meredith plays his typical milquetoast individual with workmanlike skill, and Franchot Tone gives at sometimes a very creepy, erratic, unnerving performance as the titular man of the film. The city shots of Paris, though my copy had a somewhat grainy color quality, were impressive and the denouement at the Eiffel Tower easily was the film's most noteworthy attribute. This film was just engaging enough to interest me and it is populated with an above-average cast.