c-mode conundrum

[J Krugman]

In my Emacs (v. 21.2, CC mode version 5.28), the following gets a
screwy fontification (the last line gets colored as if it were a
double-quoted string):

/* -*- mode: C -*- */
/*
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
()'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*/

void foo(int bar);





The bizarre multiline comment is pretty much necessary.  Practically
any alteration to it will cause the fontification to correct itself.
Does anyone else experience the same problem?  If so, what could
be the reason?  Is there a workaround?  (Looking for a workaround
for this particular example would be silly, of course, but the
example is a distillation of a real world situation.)

TIA,

jill

-- 
To  s&e^n]d  me  m~a}i]l  r%e*m?o\v[e  bit from my a|d)d:r{e:s]s.