Le jouet

Enjoyed the movie in the '70s. Saw re-make recently which made me want to search for the original. The re-make focuses (no pun intended) too much on Richard Pryor. The lesson is largely lost. I would still like to track down a copy of an English sub-titled version of this movie.

This is a great film! Richard Pryor thought he could use a remake as his personal vehicle in 'The Toy", but the American Hollywood version lacked the

insight and the comic spirit of the French original.

The film captures the arrogance and hateful attitude of the capitalist rich towards their employees to a T. I was laughing throughout the entire film!

If you get a chance, check it out. I give it 100 stars on a scale of 0 to 10. Give it to Hollywood to mess this one up, which they did. When will we Americans get fed up with this LA butchering of an art form always transformed into commercialized spoon-fed crap? See the original and weep for Poor Richard.

This movie has unfortunately been unavailable in the US. It served as the basis for the later US film, The Toy (star, Richard Pryor) but retained an integrity and beauty that was lost in the US remake. Pierre Richard plays the part of a man who has been purchased as a plaything for a rich man's son -- and manages to turn the role around in such a way that the young boy learns in a subtle but unmistakable fashion that all human beings are deserving of dignity and respect. A top notch performance by Pierre Richard, surpassing any of his later films (Tall Blonde Man, Comperes, etc.). I urge you to try this one out!

I saw this film in Washington DC in the '70s, and was captivated. Then I brought friends and saw it again and again. Unfortunately, it is not available now in the States, though the coarse remake with Pryor and Gleason has overshadowed it. How can this be?? Richard has a delightful blend of tenderness and integrity that urge the viewer toward a more optimistic view -- that one person can make a big difference in someone's life. And the ending of the film suggests that we need to give much more credit to our small ones' ability to recognize truth and honor. If you have the chance, see it. If you know how to lobby to get this film the North American distribution it deserves (in VHS or DVD), please get on board!

(IMDB summary corrected for grammar and augmented.) When Francois, a journalist, tours a big store for an article, he is chosen by the son of the newspaper's owner, Rambal-Cochet, as his new toy. Needing money and unwilling to quit his job, Francois agrees to this ridiculous assignment. Gradually befriending the spoiled boy, he induces him to play at making a newspaper, unveiling publicly the tyrannical way of life of the father. The powerful emotional climax we experience with the child astonishes both men.

This funny, thoughtful film is much better than its American remake and deserves wider recognition.