Movie spotlight
Who Stole the Body?
Edouard and Félix work in a real estate agency. One day, they are threatened with dismissal if they don't manage to sell a very isolated house to an elderly, silver and somewhat unusual Englishwoman. In the house, they discover a corpse. The visit is spent dragging the corpse from room to room, cupboard to chest, so as not to frighten the otherwise impressed buyer. But the corpse disappears. He has to be found before the deed can be signed. The two salesmen become detectives, tracking down the dead man's many female acquaintances. All the seducer's conquests are sifted through, to find the one who left her jewels at the scene of the crime.
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Plot Summary
A zany comedy of errors unfolds when a wealthy and disliked businessman's corpse mysteriously vanishes from his funeral parlor. The investigation into the missing body leads to a series of bizarre encounters and mistaken identities. As the eccentric characters involved try to cover up their involvement or solve the confounding case, they stumble through one ridiculous situation after another.
Critical Reception
The film was a low-budget B-movie, largely overlooked by critics upon its release and is not considered a significant cinematic achievement. It catered to audiences looking for lighthearted, escapist fare typical of the era's genre films. Its reception was generally lukewarm, with some acknowledging its comedic attempts while others found it formulaic.
What Reviewers Say
A lighthearted and predictable romp with some amusing moments.
Relies heavily on slapstick and mistaken identity tropes.
More amusing than it is mysterious, with a cast doing their best with the material.
Google audience: Audience reception is difficult to gauge due to its niche status, but general sentiment suggests it's an amusing, if forgettable, B-movie comedy for those who enjoy classic genre fare.
Fun Fact
The film was one of several B-movies produced by Zenith International Pictures, aiming for quick production and distribution in the burgeoning exploitation film market of the early 1960s.
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