Bon Voyage review

The five years separating Cyrano De Bergerac and The Horseman On The Roof seem a trifle compared to the eight it's taken veteran Gallic director Jean-Paul Rappeneau to bring his latest effort to the screen. Still, they say all good things come to those who wait, and this romantic, beautifully composed melodrama is an enjoyable, nostalgic throwback to the French cinema of yesteryear.

Set amid the confusion of Germany's 1940 occupation of France, Bon Voyage uses the chaotic relocation of Parisian society to Bordeaux as a backdrop for a light-hearted caper that blends thwarted amour, adventure and Hitchcockian intrigue. The story - which involves a narcissistic actress (Isabelle Adjani), a young writer (Grégori Derangère) and a cache of hard water - may not bear much scrutiny. But a quality cast (including Cyrano's Gérard Depardieu, Peter Coyote and Virginie Ledoyen from The Beach) oozes class, while the sets, costumes and production values are off the scale.