At the time ,Clement's career was slipping ,slowly but inexorably.This thriller is not "plein soleil" (the first version of "the talented M.Ripley )or even "les félins" ,by a long shot.After the twenty first minutes which promise great things ,the screenplay peters out and we 're left with Marlene Jobert's grimaces and Bronson's tricks.Pretension has showed up too:quoting Lewis Caroll is not enough to create mystery and suspense.It's the supporting cast that walks away with the honors:Annie Cordy,who tackled here her first dramatic part ,is very convincing and Corinne Marchand ("Cleo de 5 à7" star) plays a small part too.
It was bad but René Clément was to sink lower with his three last works ("la maison sous les arbres" "la course du lièvre à travers champs" and "la babysitter") ,a sad and tatty end for a director who gave us ,outside "plein soleil" ,such gems as "forbidden games" or "les maudits".
It was bad but René Clément was to sink lower with his three last works ("la maison sous les arbres" "la course du lièvre à travers champs" and "la babysitter") ,a sad and tatty end for a director who gave us ,outside "plein soleil" ,such gems as "forbidden games" or "les maudits".