Le gendarme et les extra-terrestres

I saw this movie at the cinema back in the day, and I remember I was slightly disappointed then because there were no actual alien monsters, just humans making metallic noises and stiff movements. However, rewatching it today I'm impressed what a clever little movie this is. Going into a genre which is clearly beyond its budget, arming its heroes only with a bucket of water, it plays virtuously on the classic doppelganger theme. Again and again, aliens and their flying saucer appear, but who will believe the eyewitnesses that they are among us? Cruchot and his team on their 5th mission (of 6 in total) are fighting an amusing battle, dedicated to the max. The flick was definitely better than I remembered it.

The gendarme of Saint-Tropez this time are saving the world from an invasion of hollow aliens. When I was a kid this was my favorite from the series and I watched it the most. Not particularly high-quality movie, but full of healthy humor.

7/10

Botcher Cruchot encounters himself attempting to save people of Saint Tropez from an outer space invasion carried out by humanoid aliens . As always , there appears customary gendarmes partners , Marechals (Michael Modo, Maurice Risch, Jean Pierre Rambal, Guy Grosso) , chief adjutant Jerome (Michael Galabru) , but this time isn't the sympathetic Jean Lefevre . When they aware an outer space saucer the Gendarmerie Nationale is revolutionized , Ludovic Cruchot (Louis De Funes) goes into in action , and he's secretly moving in disguise , dressing as a nun . The only way to discover the Extra-Terrestres from real human is which they feel deep thirst and take compulsively oil drinks ; furthermore they sound like empty metallic cans when they punch them . Then , the highlights happen as when the aliens impersonate as gendarmes and the events go wrong .

This is an amusing story and pretty entertaining farce with the master comic Luis De Funes . Lively situations full of slapstick , slapdash and too much fun . The pic contains a light criticism to French police called Nationale Gendarmerie . Louis De Funes undertakes several adventures , overacting , as always , as he puts intense mocking faces , grimaces , tongue twister and lots of mimic gesticulation . Claude Gensac , as ordinary Ludovic Cruchot's spouse, she collaborated five films as wife , however this time doesn't appear , being substituted by Maria Mauban . Fine local photography with luminous sun under St. Tropez's blue sky . Lively and catching musical score by Raymond Lefevre includes usual leitmotif with musical background on habitual ending parade where the gendarmes are replaced by false aliens . However , it packs cheesy and ridiculous special effects referring the flying saucer . The movie is ingeniously written and directed by regular director series , Jean Girault . If you like Funes' nutty acting, you'll like this one.

Other movies about our intimate gendarmes are the following : ¨Gendarme of St. Tropez¨ , ¨Gendarme get married¨ , ¨Gendarme at New York¨ , ¨Gendarme takes off¨ and the last acting of the great Louis De Funes , an authentic Farceur: ¨Gendarme and the Gendarmettes¨.

This comedy is full of background jokes which you don't spot the first time round, (or even 3rd time). Funes is brilliant. We saw this several times on a rainy holiday! My kids loved it.

The plot meanders a bit. Comedy without gross-out, those were the days!!

Le Gendarme et les Extra Terrestres is one of the last episodes in the "gendarme"-series, situated in the beautiful south of France (St. Tropez).

Louis de Funes again plays Ludovic Cruchot. When his colleague-gendarme Beaupied (Maurice Risch) sees a flying saucer, no one believes him. Not much later however, Cruchot also sees the saucer. The two gendarmes try to convince their colleagues that they must do something to defeat the aliens, especially when it becomes clear that these aliens can copy the looks of anyone they like, including the gendarmes. But how do you catch aliens you can not distinguish from your own colleagues?

Don't complain about the special effects. They are bad. The saucer, when flying, is very poorly pasted in the film, especially in the final scene where it flies over the St Tropez harbor. It doesn't matter, even contributes to the overall fun-factor of this movie.

The movie contains more than enough memorable scenes, that is if you like its kind of humour. De Funes singing in a nuns-choir is hilarious. De Funes patting everybody on the back (to check if they sound hollow) and stabbing his boss in his ass (because he thinks he's an alien) is great. Also the scenes where Baupied's alien look-a like offers him a flower and where De Funes' cap is set on fire by an alien are classics.

The movie gives him enough room to display his famous neurotic character. A must see for fans of De Funes and of French comedy. 7/10 points.