Las grandes vacaciones

Les Grandes Vacances isn't the best movie with Louis de Funès but it's a movie with Louis de Funès so per definition it's always worth a watch. He plays the usual very nervous but convincing madman, a role that suits him so good. Every movie with him is like watching a one-man-show. Remove Louis de Funès from this movie and you just have a bleak story nobody is interested in, but with the best comedian France has ever produced it's just different. I rewatched this movie just to enjoy his gimmicks and facial expressions, like most people do.

1960s style French comedy with better than average gags and the comic timing of Funes. This diverting film deals with a stiff Principal named Charles : Louis de Funes, of a rigid boarding school. On vacation he is planning a student exchange between his son Philippe and MacFarrell's daughter : Martine Kelly, but Philip actually plans to save an amusing holiday by boat and replacing himself by the fat nerd Stephane : Maurice Rish. To be aware Charles of his true activitates, that's why he follows his son, chasing the yacht by sailing, or flying . But then his colleague : Ferdy Mayne, soon joins him and things go wrong.

This enjoyable French comedy contains amusing incidents, funny set pieces, slapstick, slapdash, simple humor and loads of fun . Of course, the central piece is Louis de Funes himself and his comic genious, while delivering a towering main performance, a prime example of a first role carrying a film . In fact this role as a strict school headmaster was particularly written for this great French comedy superstar. As it is a Louis de Funes show, giving a sympathetic acting , as usual, he is very good providing his habitual Tics, gestures , tongue twister and overacting with lots of gesticulation. Costarred by the likeable young girl Martine Kelly who also played with Funes in Hibernatus and The Band, in addition Ferdy Mayne who acted in Fearless Vampire Killers by Polanski . Here Funes is accompanied by ordinary actors who usually show up in Saint Tropez Gendarme series as Claude Gensac also playing his wife , Guy Grosso and Maurice Risch. And brief appearance by Silvia Dionisio, subsequently a star of the Italian sex comedy.

Agreeable musical score by regular Raymond Lefebre that scored Saint Tropez franchise. As well as colorful cinematography by Marcel Grignon, this notorious cameraman is considered to be one of the best of French cinema. The picture was amusingly and lively directed by Jean Girault who made the Saint Tropez series with Louis de Funes. Girault was a comedy expert, directing a lot , such as : The miser, Squek squek, Jo, The troops of St Tropez, Gendarme in balade, Gendarme in New York, Gendarme and the Gendarmettes, Gendarme and the creatures of the outer space, Les Charlots, among others. Rating 7/10. Well worth watching. The flick will appeal to Louis de Funes fans.

at the first sigh, each film of Louis de Funes is only version of the others. but each of themes gives a new way to discover the near reality. "Les Grandes Vacances" is far to be an exception. the humor has the same source. the cultural differences,the joy of youth against the neurosis of the neurosis of the small man with serious responsibilities, the holiday and the love, the same partners for the admirable de Funes and the solution for the great problems. and it is enough for a great comedy .

it is not the best movie of Louis de Funes. but that fact not represents a great sin because the old recipes works, the humor is good, the clash between the values of college director and his students - amusing and the adventures to Le Havre nice at whole. a good point - the conflict between French and Englishmen, almost a sketch but used with inspired precise. a film about holiday,interesting, not extraordinary or seductive but covered by the talent of one of greatest actors. a film for entire family. and that fact is the essential virtue for discover/remind the spirit of a French cinema style. summer, holiday and a great actor. it could be enough.

I quite agree with Elmaruecan82's long and excellent review. I will take away one further star because of the treatment and terrible shooting conditions those poor horses in the last scene obviously had to go through. Just for this I would recommend boycotting this movie! But it's too bad because, as has been observed, the premise is great and a perfect opportunity for a fun, cross-cultural window on 1967, and all the right comedians are in the cast (even Claude Gensac). It's just mostly bad, over-the-top, comedic stuff, deprived altogether of the quasi-surrealism of the best De Funès entries of his prime years. Even himself plays kind of low-key here... And his verbal fighting scenes with his English antagonist are poorly improvised...