''The passer-through-walls'' (french: Le Passe-muraille), translated as ''The Man Who Walked through Walls'', ''The Walker-through-Walls'' or ''The Man who Could Walk through Walls'', is a short story published by

Marcel Aymé Marcel Aymé (29 March 1902 – 14 October 1967) was a French novelist and playwright, who also wrote screenplays and works for children. Biography Marcel André Aymé was born in Joigny, in the Burgundy region of France, the youngest of si ...

in 1941.Michel Lecureur, Le Passe-muraille - Notice, in Marcel Aymé, Œuvres romanesques complètes – III, Gallimard, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, 2001, p. 1843-1851 ()

Plot summary

A man named Dutilleul lived in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

in 1943. In his forty-third year, he discovered that he possessed the ability to pass effortlessly through walls. In search of a cure he consulted a doctor, who prescribed intensive work and a medicine. Dutilleul made no change to his rather inactive life, however, and a year later still retained his ability to pass through walls, although with no inclination to use it. However, a new manager arrived at his office and began to make his job unbearable. Dutilleul began using his power to annoy his manager, who went mad and was taken away to an asylum. Dutilleul then began to use his ability to burgle banks and jewellery shops. Each time, he would sign a pseudonym "The Lone Wolf" in red chalk at the crime scene, and his criminal exploits soon became the talk of the town. In order to claim the prestige and celebrity status "The Lone Wolf" had gained, Dutilleul allowed himself to be caught in the act. He was put in prison, but used his ability to frustrate his jailers and repeatedly escape. He then fell in love with a married woman, whose husband went out every night and left her locked in her bedroom. Dutilleul used his power to enter her bedroom and spend the night with her while her husband was away. One morning, Dutilleul had a headache and took two pills he found in the bottom of his drawer. His headache went away, but later that night, as he was leaving his lover's house, he noticed a feeling of resistance as he was passing through the walls. The pills Dutilleul had thought were aspirin were, in fact, the medicine his doctor had prescribed for him a year earlier. As he was passing through the final outer wall of the property, he noticed he was no longer able to move. He realized his mistake too late. The medicine suddenly took effect, and Dutilleul ended up trapped in the wall, where he remains to this day.

Adaptations

The story has inspired several cinematic adaptations, including the following: * 1951 – French comedy farce film ''

Le Passe-muraille ''The passer-through-walls'' (french: Le Passe-muraille), translated as ''The Man Who Walked through Walls'', ''The Walker-through-Walls'' or ''The Man who Could Walk through Walls'', is a short story published by Marcel Aymé in 1941.Michel Lecu ...

'', directed by Jean Boyer with

Bourvil André Robert Raimbourg (; 27 July 1917 – 23 September 1970), better known as André Bourvil (), and mononymously as Bourvil, was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy films, most notably in his collaboration with Louis ...

starring. * 1959 – German ''

The Man Who Walked Through the Wall ''The Man Who Walked Through the Wall'' () is a 1959 West German comedy film directed by Ladislao Vajda, starring Heinz Rühmann and Nicole Courcel. It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film is based on the novella '' The Man Who Walk ...

'', directed by

Ladislao Vajda Ladislao Vajda (born Weisz László; 18 August 1906, Budapest – 25 March 1965, Barcelona) was a Hungarian-Spanish film director who made films in Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy and West Germany. Biography He was born in Budapest, ...

. * 1977 – French TV film , directed by

Pierre Tchernia Pierre Tcherniakowski (29 January 1928 – 8 October 2016), better known as Pierre Tchernia, was a French cinema and television producer, screenwriter, presenter, animator and actor. In France he was known as ''"Magic" Tchernia'' and ''Monsieur Ci ...

with

Michel Serrault Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films. Life and career His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's '' Les ...

starring. * 2007 – French short animation film , directed by Damien Henry. * 2016 – French TV film , directed by

Dante Desarthe Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

. The story is also the basis of the 1997 stage musical (or in its 2002 English-language adaptation, ''Amour'').

References

*''The information in this article is based on that in its French equivalent''.

External links

English translation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Passer Through Walls French short stories Fantasy short stories Short stories adapted into films Works by Marcel Aymé