THE STREET WHERE THE HEART LIES

A panopticon of the bizarre, this has an imprisoned princess (Gala) whose (strip-tease) beauty and art conquers all; her demanding master-husband (Miomo — who cats living creatures); and the young American professor who loves but does not aspire to Gala. Packed around them are the inhabitants of the Paris quarter where the nightclub Relaxez-Vous dominates the scene, for Finsterwald the taxidermist, the Mother Superior, Vittorio Vivanti the wealthiest man, and the Sultan, together with Clochard, known as King Dagobert who lives under the bridge, and the masseur Doktor Ueberlinger, Aisha who does an act with her python, and the incomparable "Mme". Michel who goes home to "her" wife and children, cooks, and is a hit of the show — all are part of the story — in which the young American professor eventually marries Gala. Again the Bemelmans' artlessness, simplicity and knowledge of these non-conformists, carries a non-standard tale with charm and persuasion. Perhaps an acquired taste?