Il cervello

The Brain is truly a French Comedy in every sense. Although sometimes bordering on the absurd, it was done with such a subtlety that it all seems comically real. In Addition to David Niven and Eli Wallach, two very know French actor/comedians, namely Bourvil and Jean Paul Belmondo, also star in this movie, making the movie complete.

The plot, A maxi Robbery by mini thieves, the many twists, the surprise ending, the Statue of liberty and a Leopard in a laundry room was all it took to make this fabulous comedy.

If you can get your hands on this movie at your local video store, don't pass it by. Though made in 1969, it has become a timeless classic.

Other Movies with Bourvil that are worth watching: La Grande Vadrouille and Le Corniaud (The Sucker)

...more for actors than for story. Adventures, unluck, interesting characters, David Niven giving a good job and the chemistry between Bourvil and Belmondo being adorable. A smart chain of adventures and a hold up in ironic perspective. And, sure, laugh in huge doses. Short, well made French comedy .

It must be nearly twenty years since I last saw this film on tv and so I have only a vague memory of it. I do remember it as being highly entertaining.

David Niven plays a master criminal called 'The Brain' who is so massively intelligent, one of the give away signs of his identity is that his massive brain occasionally causes his head to go off balance thus causing him to keep it upright in his hands (very gallic sense of humour as this film appears to be largely French made).

He plans a major robbery whilst trying to avoid the attentions of Interpol. One of the gang members is the great French comedian, Bourvil who had parts in among others 'Monte Carlo or Bust' and the tv series 'The Flashing Blade'.

I would love to see this come on the tv again and can only think its been left off for contractual reasons over ownership of the rights and for royalty purposes.

Ah, the characters: David Niven as a British Officer/Master thief, played with his usual ironic assurance and poise, Eli Wallach as a frantic and choleric mafioso (he is a contender for Louis des Funés as the most explosive screen presence ever) and the delicious duo of Belmondo as an ambitious and inventive but somewhat hapless small time crook with Bourvil as his more cautious straight man and partner in crime.

A movie with great dialogue, fantastic pace, a swinging soundtrack and an incredible mix of physical, situational and verbal comedy - laugh-out-loud funny throughout.

If "The Brain" should really not be available on DVD this would just be further proof of how little brain these entertainment-industry executives have.

Occasionally seen on TV in France, this film has now been issued on a double DVD in France with French subtitles only. Picture quality is superb ( THX Standard ). The film is extremely entertaining, to say the least, quite normal as the directer is the great Gérard Oury and on a par with such films as Le Corniaud or La Grande Vadrouille. I'm sure it's well known across the world, even if people don't know its title, if only because of David Niven's head that slants to one side because his brain's too heavy. There's a mixture of actors here, some French, some foreign and it has that light hearted happy-go-lucky-swinging-sixties look as typified by the Italian Job and other similar films. Knowing the perverse nature of things, now that this commentary has been written, the film will probably turn up on DVD in the coming months !! Let's hope so anyway !