I'm watching all of Woody Allen's films in chronological order.
Set in Paris, a struggling writer on the brink of a loveless marriage seeks solace in the city's many nocturnal delights. Featuring a suicidal young woman, a cameo by Toulouse-Lautrec, and some delightful shots of Paris and its surrounding countryside.
It is a film of its time - a bawdy sex comedy set in the swinging sixties - so it seems rather unfair to judge it too harshly. Nevertheless it is a noisy and confusing mess. There are snatches of comedic genius in among the confusing plot strands.
Peter O'Toole may be the most devastatingly handsome leading man ever to light up the screen. And of course, only Woody Allen would have the chutzpah to write himself into a role which involves undressing a bevy of strippers.
Sadly, even the sight of Ursula Andress in her underwear fails to lift the film which, by the end, descends into slapstick.
It's not a particularly great start to my Woody Allen Challenge experience. At times the "groovy" costumes elicit greater laughter than the writing.
The film was only written by Woody Allen - he didn't direct it.
