When the Germans were marching into Paris, the French government sent the Mona Lisa to England for safekeeping -- don't ask me, this is what the movie says -- and they stuck it into a mountain vault under the supervision of C. Aubrey Smith. Now they want it back, so Smith hands it over. Then a few hours later, in walks Erich von Stroheim in a preposterous pompadour. The couriers were working for him, and here's the picture they snatched. It's an obvious forgery. And so both men set about looking for the real one, without the French being told
It's an obvious paycheck movie for both actors, but it's always fun to watch each of them doing his shtick. Director George Blair keeps the fog machines running full blast in this Republic programmer to make it look like England. After all is said and done, I'm still not sure how they lost the painting.
It's an obvious paycheck movie for both actors, but it's always fun to watch each of them doing his shtick. Director George Blair keeps the fog machines running full blast in this Republic programmer to make it look like England. After all is said and done, I'm still not sure how they lost the painting.