AllMovie

This children's fantasy tale by Michel Deville was inspired by a real-life drama of some British schoolchildren who smuggled themselves into France and had quite a good time until the police eventually caught them. In this version, three girls and four boys living in London hop on a car transporter without a penny between them, and once at the English Channel, they sneak onto the ferry for the ride across. After reaching France, some menacing figures start to loom larger than life: a tattooed nun, a priest riding around in a Rolls-Royce, and a family of pirates. The children have several adventures but in the end must escape from this motley crew of strange people -- out to experiment on them with their diabolical aging machine. As this film turns gradually into a fantasy, the scripting and action are less inspired -- the adult writers may have needed more of a child's imagination.