"So Long at the Fair" is one of my favorite films. It combines mystery and suspense, my favorite genres, with two of my favorite stars, Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde, both quite young and beautiful here.
Simmons is a young woman, Victoria Barton, who accompanies her brother, Johnny Barton (David Tomlinson), to Paris for what appears to be the 1889 Expo. The morning after they arrive at their hotel, not only has Victoria's brother disappeared, but so has his hotel room. Everyone claims that she arrived alone. She eventually discovers that a handsome artist (Bogarde) borrowed money from Johnny the night of their arrival, and he works with her to find proof that her brother existed and that his existence, for some reason, is being covered up by the hotel.
As others have mentioned, variations of this story have been told before - "The Lady Vanishes," "Dangerous Crossing," and even "Gaslight," but the denouement of each of these stories is different from one another and from "So Long at the Fair," so one can enjoy all of the films.
Bogarde and Simmons make a stunning couple, and the film has many nice touches - the hot air balloon scene and the part that takes place during the masked ball being two. Honor Blackman is a woman interested in the Bogarde character, and Felix Aylmer is the British consulate.
Based on a true story, "So Long at the Fair" is a wonderful, intriguing film that's not to be missed.
Simmons is a young woman, Victoria Barton, who accompanies her brother, Johnny Barton (David Tomlinson), to Paris for what appears to be the 1889 Expo. The morning after they arrive at their hotel, not only has Victoria's brother disappeared, but so has his hotel room. Everyone claims that she arrived alone. She eventually discovers that a handsome artist (Bogarde) borrowed money from Johnny the night of their arrival, and he works with her to find proof that her brother existed and that his existence, for some reason, is being covered up by the hotel.
As others have mentioned, variations of this story have been told before - "The Lady Vanishes," "Dangerous Crossing," and even "Gaslight," but the denouement of each of these stories is different from one another and from "So Long at the Fair," so one can enjoy all of the films.
Bogarde and Simmons make a stunning couple, and the film has many nice touches - the hot air balloon scene and the part that takes place during the masked ball being two. Honor Blackman is a woman interested in the Bogarde character, and Felix Aylmer is the British consulate.
Based on a true story, "So Long at the Fair" is a wonderful, intriguing film that's not to be missed.