Mr. Peek-a-Boo

Mr. Peek-a-Boo (released in French as *Garou-Garou, le Passe-muraille*, often shortened to *Le Passe-muraille*) is a 1951 French comedy film with superhero elements. Directed by Jean Boyer, it adapts Marcel Aymé’s 1941 short story *Le Passe-muraille*, which tells of a man able to pass through solid walls. The film premiered on 6 April 1951.

The story follows Léon, a mild-mannered civil servant with the power to walk through walls. He becomes infatuated with Susan, a hotel thief, and adopts the persona of the notorious gangster Garou-Garou to win her over. This leads to his arrest and imprisonment, where he frustrates guards by freely entering and leaving his cell. Despite his criminal guise, Léon is essentially honest and law-abiding; he returns everything he stole, is acquitted by the court, and gains fame and respect. When he learns Susan plans to return to England for a fresh start, he decides to confess his feelings. Their moment is interrupted by a crowd of journalists. Fleeing into a building, the pair is trapped in a corridor. Léon pushes Susan through a wall, but in doing so, he loses his ability to walk through walls, and the film ends.

The film helped cement the film career of Bourvil, its star, who had already appeared in several films before 1951, such as *La Ferme du pendu* (1945) and *Le Cœur sur la main* (1948). Bourvil plays Léon, an ordinary man with a particular fondness for women, especially Susan, played by Joan Greenwood. The film is noted for its surprisingly good special effects, which were in their early days at the time of production. It was released in black and white, though a color version also exists.