Le corniaud

a lot of gags and humor of situation. parody of a popular genre. and a couple who gives memorable mark to a film not real different by many others from the French cinematography of ''60's. Louis de Funes and Bourvil. a Cadillac. and a ruined plan. and many hilarious situations who mix ingenuity and neurosis, fights and revenges, stupid characters and insignificant small man who reimpose justice. and the end is a gem. clichés of crime films are exploited with great art. the love has its slice. the tension is not ignored. and few Italian/French classic landscapes are the perfect spices. a popular comedy, off course. special for the art of two great comedians. and for the freshness of irony about lifestyle's aspects from the period, not different by present.

One of the classics of French Comedy from the 1960's, Le Corniaud appears regularly on French TV, and is available on DVD and VHS. The film features 2 of France's greatest comedians, both now dead, Louis de Funes and Bourvil ( real name André Raimbourg ). De Funès manic gesticulations coupled with Bourvil's apparent naiveness in a sombre affaire of driving a car loaded with contraband across the Italian border and into France provide a never-ending series of hilarious situations against the 1960's backcloth of carefree life on the Mediterranean. As they say " they just don't make 'em like that any more ". This film together with " La Grande Vadrouille " which features the same stars constitute milestones in the history of popular French comic cinema.

I first watched Le Corniaud when I was still a student in colonial Mozambique and found it roaringly funny - the scenes of sugar cubes placed in the gasoline tank (twice) with de Funes promptly getting his aides to suck out the gasoline; that marvellous camp shower scene; and Bourvil missing the plot altogether, unwittingly dispersing the contraband goods all over the place and always finding gorgeous women for company - it is all zany, unpretentious fun from a time long gone when fun could be politically incorrect without anyone giving it a second thought or being offended by it.

I have watched Le Corniaud twice since Mozambique and though the story is a bit patchy the leading duo is in top form, the Italian scenery is to die for, and it has such wonderful vignettes that I cannot help but laugh and laugh and laugh.

Of course this movie is dated (43 years by now), but in my opinion that rather adds to the fun. We get to see quite many street scenes of the time, in France and Italy, and of course lots of cars from that period (including two Rolls-Royces). For railfans, even a "Picasso" railcar is thrown in...

I'm normally not a fan of Louis de Funès' frantic humour, which is also evidenced here, but he also has very admirable (non-talking) moments, like the Cadillac repair to a classical music score, or the muscle comparison in the camping shower.

In all, a turbulent comedy plus Italian road movie. Very lovely. The German DVD I bought (Universal 2008, titled "Louis, das Schlitzohr") also has English, Spanish and Dutch dubs, but not the original French soundtrack. Still, jolly good fun which made my Friday night perfect :^)

Le Corniaud is a hilarious french movie from the sixties. It is the kind of feel good movie I like to watch on a sunny sunday afternoon.

The story is a ridiciulously funny crime story about a guy (Bourvil) who just left home for the holidays when he gets hit by a car (owned by De Funes). De Funes settles the case by providing Bourvil with a brand new cadilac to continue his holiday to Italy. Of course Bourvil does not know that he is now smuggling gold, heroin and a giant diamand hidden in that cadilac. The coupling of actors Louis de Funes and Bourvil is ace, the locations are beautiful (France and Italy during summer) and the fun is enormous. Sad thing only that Studio Canal just released all Louis de Funes movies on dvd without any subtitles... sham