Il re dei falsari

Interesting piece of French cinema, with "monstre sacré" Jean Gabin and famously acid dialogues by Michel Audiart.

The story is actually quite interesting and the era so foreign so this reviewer was actually metaphorically glued to their seat.

The White male characters are unfortunately first class condescendant towards minorities and women but this only sadly reflects the time and history of Western privilege.

In a nutshell: excellent and enjoyable stand alone part II in a trilogy with Master Liar Max the Trickster (personal free translation of Max le Menteur).

A review in 600 characters.

The movie in itself is nothing special : a gangster movie, directed in a classic and worn-out way, with no specific directing whatsoever. And with a slow pace - in French, we will say a movie "à la papa", meaning a cinema made with too much comfort. But we have some of the best Audiard's dialog and one-liners and that changes everything! Gabin, Blier, and the rest of the cast, pretty decent, helps as well, but without the chiseled lines from Audiard, it would have just been average.

Made by Gilles Grangier, a minor director whose films were not that bad ,"Le Cave Se Rebiffe" was a bit tongue in chick ,not to be taken seriously.Maurice Biraud was a touching character,lost in a world of crooks,counterfeiters and traitors.

Michel Audiard -who finally began to direct his own movies in the late sixties:"Faut Pas Prendre Les Enfants Du Bon Dieu Pour Des Canards Sauvages" starring Françoise Rosay ,etc-came up with some of his best lines .

My favorite line:Gabin comes to see Rosay and asks her for some "paper" for his job (forger).But the merchandise does not satisfy him and he answers: You can use them as paper cones of chips!(=bags of chips) Not much food for thought but very funny and entertaining.

'Touchez-pas au Grisbi' was the first in the Max le Menteur trilogy of Albert Simonin. The film under review is the second and 'Les Tontons Flingueurs' the third. All three adaptations have dialogue by the great Michel Audiard. This is the eighth collaboration of director Gilles Grangier with the irrepressible Jean Gabin whose career had been revitalised by 'Grisbi' in 1956. He has here one of his best roles of the 1960's as a master counterfeiter.There is tremendous support from Bernard Blier, Frank Villard, Balpetre, Martine Carol, Ginette Leclerc and the imperious Francoise Rosay. It is Gabin who is gifted the best lines notably 'the greatest failed businesses are built on trust'! Extremely entertaining with never a dull moment. Comedy is a serious business of course but I would like to think that the cast had as much fun in making this film as I had in watching it.

Le Cave se rebiffe is one of my favorite movies of all times. With an impeccable cast (Jean Gabin, Bernard Blier and Maurice Biraud among others)and an excellent story to go along things can't go anything but right. Add to that the dialogs from Michel Audiard and voilà! a masterpiece.

This movie contains two of my favorite Audiard one liners, I'll try and translate for non French-speaking members: - About Eric, Jean Gabin says: "If stupidity could be measured, he'd serve as a yardstick for it" - Talking with Maurice Biraud: "To deny your own talents makes it easier for mediocre people to succeed".

Real funny stuff, but also things to think about.