Le corniaud

This was playing on French TV when I was on a recent trip to France. I laughed often during this marvelous old film. Even though my understanding of the language is minimal, I enjoyed this movie very much.

It has some wonderful physical comedy and the vintage cars and clothes are a treat to watch. The main character, who remains oblivious throughout the story, is a lovable clueless man. The crooks are appropriately stupid.

The camp shower scene is a classic. Even my husband laughed out loud during that ... a rare occurrence.

I wish I knew where to buy this film with English subtitles to watch it on a dreary winter night! It would a fun one to share with others to raise serotonin levels for all.

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.

Bourvil plays the role of Antoine Marechal, a seemingly witless insurance salesman, who on his way to a vacation in Italy in his "deux cheveaux" automobile gets hit and has his car literally destroyed by the Rolls Royce of Leopold Saroyan, an affluent industrialist played by Louis de Funes. In order to make amends, Saroyan offers to have Marechal complete his trip to Italy in his convertible Cadillac (replete with a mobile phone and phonograph player - this is no less than twenty years before the advent of cellular phones and CD players). What Marechal doesn't know is that the Cadillac is also laden with stolen jewelry and drugs to be smuggled unwittingly by him across the border. What's more, Saroyan and two cronies as well as a smattering of other criminals tail Marechal during his journey across Italy and try to intercept or recharge, as the case may be, the merchandise on board the Cadillac. The hi-jinks in this movie are incredibly funny. This film is a worthy precursor to de Funes' "The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob."

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 :^)

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.