Le Passe-Muraille - The Man Who Walked through Walls

This whimsical bronze sculpture in Montmartre captures the attention of all who pass by. This peculiar piece, created by Jean Marais in 1989, pays respect to the French writer Marcel Aymé and his enchanting tale "Le Passe-Muraille".

The story, set in the streets of Montmartre, tells of a man named Dutilleul who discovers he possesses the extraordinary ability to walk through walls.

In 1943, a man named Dutilleul living in Montmartre discovered he could pass through walls. Initially uninterested in using his power, he later employed it to torment his unbearable manager, who went mad, and to commit high-profile burglaries under the pseudonym "The Lone Wolf." After being jailed, he repeatedly escaped using his ability. He then fell in love with a married woman, sneaking into her locked room nightly. One day, he mistakenly took medicine which suppressed his ability to pass through walls. While leaving his lover’s house, he became stuck inside a wall, where he remains to this day.

The story has inspired various adaptations, including films such as Le Passe-Muraille (1951), The Man Who Walked Through the Wall (1959), and several French TV films (1977, 2016), as well as a 2007 animated short. It also served as the basis for the 1997 stage musical Le Passe Muraille, later adapted into the English-language musical Amour in 2002.

Read more

Photo: I&D Sioma, Wikimedia Commons