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!

This ridiculous James Bond spoof comes courtesy of Les Charlots, a French comedy quartet that was popular in the 1970s. This film is so over-the-top and scattered that I think I need to break this review down to three elements:

The Good: Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell (M and Moneypenny in the Bond series) have a short cameo at the start of the film.

There is a gun-barrel sequence where James Bond is shot!

The stunts are simply spectacular (the film was directed by a stuntman).

There is a great deal of location shooting in London, Spain and Hong Kong.

Gerard and Jean-Guy(two of Les Charlots) are appropriately dashing as French secret agents.

The Bad: An actor made up as Richard Nixon comments on the story occasionally.

Every English-speaking actor is dubbed in French with a dreadful accent

The 1970s fashions are just awful.

The Kung Fu sequences (there are a lot of them) are nothing special.

The Ugly: Clifton James (Sheriff Pepper in the Bond films) is an American agent/detective and is horribly bad.

Mickey Rooney as the main villain should be ashamed of himself for his overacting and hamming it up.

There is a stunt that almost goes bad where a dog is almost crushed under a car. Ugh.

Overall, a must if you want to see every James Bond spoof known to man. Otherwise, you have been warned. I give it 3 secret agent out of 10(For the gun-barrel sequence, M and Moneypenny and the illegal use of the James Bond theme as well as for two of the four Charlots). Oh yeah, there are also references to Clockwork Orange, The Marx Brothers and Mad Magazine.

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"...)

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.