Bon Voyage

A lavish romp around France's seemingly farce-filled early WWII days, Rappeneau's buttery period piece churns romance, glamour, intrigue and derring-do, but most of all nostalgia. Not necessarily for the era, which it treats with kid gloves, but for the whole 'how they used to make 'em' rigmarole: pampered screen primadonnas (Adjani), pompous politicos (Depardieu), dashing men of pluck (Derangère), insinuating German double agents (Coyote), MacGuffin-laden old scientists (Stehlé) and their comely, bespectacled daughters (Ledoyen). The broad picture is akin to a knockabout, full colour crib of Hitchcock's wartime chase thrillers, minus the wit. It's another hallmark high decor production from Rappeneau (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Horseman on the Roof), and while Depardieu looks just a little constrained, the rest of the cast play their types (empty though they are) with consummate polish.