Monnaie de singe

I've always thought that Yves Robert was an underrated director :his "Arsene Lupin" is perhaps the best based on the gentleman cambrioleur's adventures;ditto for "la guerre des boutons" which modern versions did not surpass; but his triumphs remain his Marcel Pagnol's adaptations "la gloire de mon père" and mainly the wonderful "château de ma mère ".

"Monnaie de singe" begins quite well : a naive penniless painter is hired by a so called baron for his forged currency business (his lover ,a would be actress , will be a strong hook); Robert Hirsh and his stupefied looks work wonders : the grown up kid (when it's not the kid) is par excellence Robert's character ( "les copains" " un éléphant ça trompe énormément " and its sequel) .

Sadly the trick of the coffin with the escaped prisoner in drags on and on,and Hirsh's coughing irritates in the end ;along the way , the excellent Jean-Pierre Marielle as the smug playboy who sticks like a leech steals the show from him;besides lovely Sylva Koscina is not efficient as a comic actress , Mireille Darc would certainly have made a better job ..

Madcap French comedy with several good moments, in which a little man gets recruited into a life of crime and ends up escaping over the Pyrenees in a Mini-Moke with the gang boss's glamorous moll. With one exception, the characters are caricatures and the players overact with gusto. A gruff integrity is retained by Jean Yanne as the gang's tough and taciturn driver.