So Long at the Fair (1951)

Don't watch this period piece if you're feeling at all frustrated. Because it's about 90-minutes of on-screen frustration as poor Vicki (Simmons) tries to convince everyone that her version of reality is truer than everyone else's. The trouble is she had a brother in the hotel the night before, but in the morning everyone else says she didn't. So, where is her brother and why are the hotel people lying and will the French authorities ever take the word of one small English woman who can't speak their language. It's just one maddening frustration after another. Meanwhile, we're wondering what the heck is going on. It's a really good suspenser as we accompany Vicki while she tries, with George's (Bogarde) help, to unravel the baffling mystery. The studio does a great job re- creating the appearance of 19th century Paris and its elaborate Exhibition, especially the ballooning episode. Also, I really like the boisterous nightclub scene that overflows with energetic gaiety. David Tomlinson too is perfect as the rather uptight English brother who can't seem to get into the swing of things Parisian. And where did they get that hotel majordomo (Catherine Nesbitt) who's officious enough to intimidate King Kong.Anyway, the movie's enough to make you appreciate everyday things like a common reality we can all agree on. The riveting premise may have been done more than once, but never better than here.

I have always loved this film ever since it came out in England where I grew up. Saw it lots of times! One thing I noticed this time was that at the convent hospital, there was a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux. The film took place at the World's Fair in Paris in around 1889, or maybe sooner. At that time, Therese was not a saint; she was born in 1873 and died in 1897. She was not canonized until about 1925. Small point about continuity, but I have always been interested in that. I thought the rest of the mise en scene was excellent. When I first saw it, I thought it actually was filmed in France, but I see now on television that it could not have been. The sets were very convincing. The story of the vanishing relative may not be new, but it was charmingly done, and Dirk Bogarde was many a young girl's dream in those days. I tend to watch the film every time I see it on TCM.

"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.

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.