Bons baisers de Hong-Kong

Among all the poor Charlots movies which were made in the seventies ," Bons Baisers de Hong Kong" is a notch or two above the usual level (which is close to zero,mind you).

It's somewhat better than the "Bidasses" coarse comedies which were probably the nadir of the French cinema of the era.

"Bons Baisers de Hong Kong" was made by Yvan Chiffre ,a stunt man.The film possesses a sense of space and an accelerated tempo helps.

It was intended as a spoof on James Bond flicks ("From Russia with love" French title is "Bons Baisers de Russie" ) complete with M. and Miss Moneypenny who appear in the flesh .As does queen Elizabeth II:but it's only a look-alike!

As "the Charlots" were kings of spoof comedy (for example, the Olympics in "Les Fous du Stade"), this one misses the mark. Even Gerard Rinaldi quote in a line from this movie, that he does not understand what is this story's for...

Way too much put on. Mostly French-dubbed actors (exceptions for the four Charlots, Jeane Manson and Louis Seigner), annoying car crashes and the fact that the plot is about the kidnapping of the Queen of England. As the main British spy is dead for three years, only "M" and Moneypenny are able to find a solution by calling the French Secret Service... And hiring 4 idiots who spoiled a boat pursuit in the Seine river, only to find out they were after a CIA agent...

Try to find what's going on... For me, it was just one of the bad France comedies of the mid-70s (with the exception of "La Cage aux Folles"...)

I grew up with French cinema and comedy. One of the main things to understand about French films is that you truly can't translate them. Most of the humor is in the language and the nuance in the words chosen. Movies like "La Chèvre" and "Les Compères" got remade in the US, but lost all the finesse of their humor in the English slapstick execution.

That said, this film is nothing like that. Honestly, the script is awful and terribly lacking in comedy. It's an amalgamation of trying to fit together too many different part and end up an incoherent mess.

Even Phil nods to the audience at the end saying "Did you get any of this? I sure didn't..."

The better works of Les Charlots are mostly the Claude Zidi films, "Le Grand Bazar" being one of my favorites, which even today still remains very funny.

One of the super hit English films that hit India in the early Eighties. Yup, I saw this movie in English in a cinema hall in the early Eighties. But there is no information on the availability of this movie in English. Matter of fact many a Les Charlots movie was released in English in India.

I saw this movie several times and will like to see this movie again, the first time I see this movie in France in 1976. I really love it and I will like to have the pleasure and opportunities to see this movie again but I can't find it here in the US. And I am looking also to find the music, but Kazaa did not have it. If anybody knows where I can have this movie and also where I can download the music, please let me know. This is a real funny and good movie. Thanks.