Paul D'Ivoi 's novel was bearing more than a distant resemblance to Jules Verne's 'Around the world in eighty days" .Its hero was broke,but unlike Fernandel,he was a handsome young man .Lavarede was also featured in another D'Ivoi 's novel "Le Bolide De Lavarede" aka "Le Cousin De Lavarede ".D'Ivoi 's output was huge but most of it has sunk into oblivion ,even "les Cinq Sous " which was relatively known forty years ago .
Fernandel was cast against type (Stan Laurel as Indiana Jones,if you see what I mean) ;hence the necessity to turn what was essentially an adventure novel into a slapstick comedy.The main characters (Miss Aurett and her father,the creditor) are featured .But the screenplay is even more improbable than the novel,but its absurdity sometimes saves the movie: best moment is probably the scene when the hero,sentenced to death in an American jail(where everybody speaks French!)thinks he is an actor in a film on his way to the electric chair.
Fernandel was cast against type (Stan Laurel as Indiana Jones,if you see what I mean) ;hence the necessity to turn what was essentially an adventure novel into a slapstick comedy.The main characters (Miss Aurett and her father,the creditor) are featured .But the screenplay is even more improbable than the novel,but its absurdity sometimes saves the movie: best moment is probably the scene when the hero,sentenced to death in an American jail(where everybody speaks French!)thinks he is an actor in a film on his way to the electric chair.
