This film starts out with a shot of a magazine article about the modern methods adopted by the Paris police department. Then it switches to a secret burial ceremony of a Paris policeman implying that it would be a breach of national security if his death were made public. Next is Frank Morgan as a Paris police detective about to track the killer based on cigarette ash found near the corpse which he finds to be from a brand sold only at a certain bar in Paris. Then he goes to the bar disguised as a drunk to cleverly get the proprietress to tell him who buys that brand of cigarette. It seems to be a mysterious monocled gent who then disappears from the movie.
Interesting, but all this has almost nothing to do with the rest of the movie, which is concerned with the legend of Anastasia, the Russian princess killed during the Revolution whose body was never recovered, leading to several false claimants pretending to be her and collect an inheritance. This story was also the basis of a1997 animated cartoon and a 1956 film starring Ingrid Bergman as the claimant and Yul Brynner as the con artist trying to fob her off.
Here the claimant is played by Gwyli Andre, a Danish actress reminiscent of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, whose lack of critical success led to a brief career in Hollywood. I thought she was pretty good, actually.
Her mentor is one General Moloff, a White Russian emigre played by Gregory Ratoff, one of the most multi-faceted villains in movie history, kidnapper, murderer, hypnotist, and surprisingly wealthy for an escapee from the revolution. On top of all this, in the end he turns out to be a sadistic mad scientist foreshadowing some of the grade-Z movies Bela Lugosi made toward the end of his career. You will be amazed, if not convinced, by the high-tech methods by which he causes a car crash by remote control.
Everyone in France speaks English, of course, occasionally remembering to attempt a French accent. English actor John Warburton has some amusing moments as another multi-tasker, both burglar and pickpocket. In fact, all the actors do a good job.
At least the film keeps moving right along and won't bore you. OK time killer if you're quarantined. Just don't expect anything to think about afterwards. Even better if you're into camp.
