Der Regenschirmmörder

Pierre Richard tries to be the Clouseau of the spy world, but his character is too much of a jerk; besides, Gordon Mitchell, playing it straight as the real hitman that Richard is mistaken for, is funnier. The film has beautiful cinematography by Henri Decaë and a couple of great car stunts by Remy Julienne, but overall it's decidedly mediocre - and too long. ** out of 4.

Movie is about an Inspector Clouseau like actor (a lot of accidents seem to befall everyone who just happens to be around him--but never the man himself!!!) He ends up going into the wrong room during what he thinks is a slam dunk film audition---but is really a gangland hit setup---Much like Bill Murray in The Man Who Knew Too Little---the main character in "The Umbrella Hit" (as it was titled here where it screened at MOMA about a week or so ago) is mistaken for an awesome professional assassin by just about everybody he comes into contact with but is really a clueless idiot.

The three exceptions being his soon to be ex-wife (who thinks him just an idiot) the actual professional assassin who's following the actor the whole time (and ends up a victim of the actor's Clouseau like behavior the majority of the time.) and the actor's agent (who unknowingly assists him in this charade--he and the slap happy actor mistakenly think they're being sent to an island to make a movie co-starring the man the actor has been asked to kill....that should give you a sense of the film's humor--the actor actually mistakes the man he's supposed to rub out for a fellow actor!) The film has a number of set pieces where the actor prances around the scenery acting like he's putting on a show and generally clowning around when the person who's with him thinks he's a hired killer. He's given an umbrella whose tip is laced with poison (the poison in the umbrella automatically kills whoever the umbrella's tip comes into contact with.) which is bad news when this actor is using it playing around like he's Gene Kelley in Singing In The Rain...or playfully fencing with it with other people. (Altho there is a funny scene where he comes into contact with his ex wife's new lover and starts attacking him with the umbrella--its actually a suspenseful sequence.) Some of this is funny---some of it is just tiresome. I suppose it depends on your tolerance for Jerry Lewis/Peter Sellers/Jim Carrey like behavior. (carrying on like an idiot while actually being somewhat smarter then the people around you) Its a fun film to watch in general--but i wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hates slapstick or films with exaggerated misunderstandings that could easily be cleared up.

I rather liked the entire climatic sequence of the film where the actor finally gets to the home of his co-star/target and ends up in the same pool as him. (the target knows that the guy was sent to kill him and soon finds out that the guy thinks he's an actor sent to make a movie with him and tries to play off of it.) Its simultaneously a very suspenseful sequence (the real killer also crashes the scene) and a very entertaining one (as the actor keeps carrying on while everything is happening around him) Its not easy to merge two completely different tones while trying to keep everything light-hearted and fluffy but i would argue that Mr. Ouray managed to do just that.

Criticism first: The plot (or "plot") feels contrived and really doesn't make much sense. So, it's a good thing that they didn't care for sense but went for a quick-footed firework of gags instead - a bit like Airplane! from the same year.

Now, the pros: Most of the gags do work, slapstick as well as running gags, funny banter and visual gags. The rhythm is relentless, there's not a boring minute in this movie. But what makes it really shine is the excellent cast with lots of character faces - Gert Fröbe as villain "La baleine", Gordon Mitchell as a grumpy hit-man, Gérard Jugnot as a sideline booking agent, "Khan" the exotic bodyguard, Valerie Mairesse as love interest / police officer "Bunny" - and among them, Pierre Richard in his usual shtick as a harmless guy completely out of his depth but still self-confident to a fault - and chasing every skirt crossing his way while his enemies are dropping like flies. Recommended, just don't expect sense and blood but a lot of good-natured laughs. This really is a nice comedy!

I see that this catch line from the funny advertising featured in the movie has gone aboard which is the proof that this french comedy was really popular. In addition, i think that our parents took us with my brother to see it in theater as a kid ! Thirty years later, the movie is still funny : the idea is really original and is a pit of funny moments : a second class actor thinks he plays the killer in a movie while he has been picked up by real gangsters ! The cool dumb actor is played by Pierre Richard who belongs to the pantheon of the french funny comedians along De Funès, Michael Youn… His personal trait would be his huge enthusiasm, so big that he can't control it and become clumsy ! The first part in the movie takes place in Paris and i can see now how french society has changed since (for the worst…) ! The final takes places in Saint Tropez (again as usual) but the action is rather indoor and that's why i have always thought it happens in a mountain lodge ! In addition, Pierre goes with a lot of famous faces among them the French "LHO" from a recent previous TV review !

Gérard Oury gave us so many successful films over two decades that it's a bit unusual to see a real flop. I don't know what the proceeds were for this one, but it has a lack of rhythm and loose plotting that suggest failure at the box office.

To begin with, the casting: when you can unite Bourvil and de Funès (La grande vadrouille), or Montand and de Funès (La folie des grandeurs), then Pierre Richard and Gérard Jugnot are going to seem small beer in comparison. And the story, so lacking in real tension and pace: an actor has a meeting with a producer, but goes in the wrong door, ends up working for the mob... Haven't we seen this kind of story before?

It's enough to say that Gordon Mitchell has a splendid granite face as the hit-man, and Christine Murillo is very sexy (what happened to her?).