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Irma la Douce

  • 1963
  • Tous publics
  • 2h 27m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
23K
YOUR RATING
Irma la Douce (1963)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:14
1 Video
99+ Photos
FarceSatireComedyRomance

When a policeman falls in love with a French prostitute in Paris, he doesn't want her to be with other men, so he creates an alter-ego who will become her only customer.When a policeman falls in love with a French prostitute in Paris, he doesn't want her to be with other men, so he creates an alter-ego who will become her only customer.When a policeman falls in love with a French prostitute in Paris, he doesn't want her to be with other men, so he creates an alter-ego who will become her only customer.

  • Director
    • Billy Wilder
  • Writers
    • Alexandre Breffort
    • Billy Wilder
    • I.A.L. Diamond
  • Stars
    • Jack Lemmon
    • Shirley MacLaine
    • Lou Jacobi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    23K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Billy Wilder
    • Writers
      • Alexandre Breffort
      • Billy Wilder
      • I.A.L. Diamond
    • Stars
      • Jack Lemmon
      • Shirley MacLaine
      • Lou Jacobi
    • 99User reviews
    • 55Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:14
    Official Trailer

    Photos155

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    + 149
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    Top cast72

    Edit
    Jack Lemmon
    Jack Lemmon
    • Nestor Patou…
    Shirley MacLaine
    Shirley MacLaine
    • Irma La Douce
    Lou Jacobi
    Lou Jacobi
    • Moustache
    Bruce Yarnell
    Bruce Yarnell
    • Hippolyte
    Herschel Bernardi
    Herschel Bernardi
    • Inspector Lefevre
    Hope Holiday
    Hope Holiday
    • Lolita
    Joan Shawlee
    Joan Shawlee
    • Amazon Annie
    Grace Lee Whitney
    Grace Lee Whitney
    • Kiki - the Cossack
    Paul Dubov
    Paul Dubov
    • Andre
    Howard McNear
    Howard McNear
    • Concierge
    Cliff Osmond
    Cliff Osmond
    • Police Sergeant
    Diki Lerner
    • Jojo
    Herb Jones
    • Casablanca Charlie
    Ruth Earl
    • One of the Zebra Twins
    Jane Earl
    • One of the Zebra Twins
    Tura Satana
    Tura Satana
    • Suzette Wong
    Lou Krugman
    • Customer #1
    James Brown
    James Brown
    • Customer from Texas
    • Director
      • Billy Wilder
    • Writers
      • Alexandre Breffort
      • Billy Wilder
      • I.A.L. Diamond
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews99

    7.323.1K
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    Featured reviews

    melfreya

    Feelgood comedy

    So it's not the greatest Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon comedy ever, but it's definitely a very amusing film with witty performances from Jack Lemmon and Shirly McLaine who prove here once again what a believable, great screen couple they make. The scene stealer in this one, though, is Lou Jacobi as Moustache, the hilarious and "wise" bartender across the street. The film loses some of its humor at somes places, but it really takes off the moment Jack becomes Lord X. The music is a great asset, too.
    8grantss

    Wonderfully warm and funny

    A policeman, Nestor, falls in love with a prostitute, Irma, but doesn't want her seeing other men. So he creates an alter-ego, a wealthy Englishman, Lord X, who will be her only customer. Seems like a solid enough plan...to him. What could possibly go wrong?

    Directed by the great Billy Wilder and written by Wilder and his long-time collaborator I. A. L. Diamond this has all the usual Wilder comedy trademarks: a warm, light-hearted story with intelligent humour and some great one-liners. The subject matter is but more risqué than usual, and would have been pushing the envelope a bit in 1963, but even then Wilder turns the film into something beautiful and funny rather than seedy or salacious.

    Another factor is the performances. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine were brilliant together in Wilder's 1960 masterpiece "The Apartment" (which for me is his greatest work). Three years, and two Wilder films, later Wilder pairs them together for this film and the effect is no less spectacular.

    Both are perfectly cast and give superb performances. Lemmon is great as Nestor, using his great physical comedy skills to great effect. MacLaine is wonderful as Irma, somehow seeming innocent and fragile while playing a cynical prostitute. She got a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance.

    On a trivia note, watch out for James Caan in his debut performance. He only has about 30 seconds of screentime and one line and goes uncredited.

    On the negative side, the film does threaten to degenerate into farce at many points in time. I thought "this is going somewhere silly" on several occasions but to Wilder's credit he pulls it back from the brink on every occasion.

    Wilder also doesn't seem to know when to end the story. He overplayed and overextended the Lord X persona too long: it seemed to have reached its natural endpoint but he then kept going with it.

    Overall, a great comedy.
    7mikeburdick

    Classic Shakespearean comedy that's worth a watch

    Billy Wilder is one of the few masters, and his writing brilliance is on full display in this film about a straight-laced cop who falls for a prostitute, and cooks up an ill-conceived scheme to keep her as his own.

    Jack Lemmon was very good at this sort of broad, slapstick comedy, and you can see his influence on other great comedy actors, particularly Tom Hanks. He and Shirley MacLaine generally succeed at reprising their screen chemistry from 'The Apartment'. And Lou Jacobi, in the roll of Moustache, the all-seeing, all-knowing cafe owner, steals the show.

    The film has some laugh-out-loud moments, and would be deserving of an 8 or even 9 had Wilder not overcooked the ending. A traditional Shakespeare would have ended 20-30 minutes earlier, the moment when the deception is revealed and the gig is up, however, Wilder decided to milk it, and ultimately, the film jumps the shark with some truly nonsensical and unnecessary plot twists. It's a shame. However, the first two hours contain some great moments, so would ultimately recommend it, especially for Wilder fans.
    7hitchcockthelegend

    One of Wilder's most divisive film's amongst his fans.

    Adapted from Alexandre Breffort's stage musical, Irma la Douce in film form turns into something of a roller-coaster ride. Even allowing for the absence of the songs (a major gripe with purists), the film is far too bloated to really achieve the heights of being a great comedy classic. If it had been condensed to perhaps a 100 minute film then I think it could have achieved the splendour that some sequences hint at. As it is though, there is still much to enjoy, and nobody should be under the impression that this film isn't funny, because it is, but just how long can you stretch the joke Mr Wilder?

    I think the chief thing that sticks out is just how did Wilder get such an overtly sexual farce past the censors? He pushes the boundary more than usual with this one, and I honestly would be surprised if he himself wasn't surprised to get away with so much cheeky sexual shenanigans. The sets are fabulous from Alexandre Trauner, and Andre Previn's score is perfect and in tune with the Parisian heart of the film, but the lead actors here are oddly not firing on all cylinders.

    Jack Lemmon's hopeless romantic Nestor is the core humour character. A character who becomes jealous of himself! His transformation into an English fop is hilarious at first, but on, and on, and on it goes till the joke becomes a heavy weight on the film's shoulders. Lemmon is fine, he's just the victim of over ambition from Wilder. Shirley MacLaine is the title character and it doesn't quite come off, sure she gives it gusto and she looks fabulous (as always), but the role cried out for a more cosmopolitan actress, and this again comes down to Wilder losing site of things with this particular project.

    It's a safe recommend for Lemmon fans, but for Wilder worshippers such as me the problems are evident in spite the film being his highest grossing film of the decade. A cautionary 7/10.
    7Horror-yo

    Very good til it becomes just too much

    Jack Lemon. What a natural. What an actor. Shirley MacLaine also very good. This film with all its convoluted twists and turns and knots and what not, has a beautiful love story at the center of it. It appears to be incredibly sweet, and touching, all the while supplying good comic relief, in particular with that bartender character and his insane anecdotes where he's been in every corner of the world and back, very good stuff - and the film does really well at developing lots of content in a plot that is fairly simple...

    but - and there's a big but (and I cannot lie) - it lingers for too long to a point where the viewer is ready to indulge and buy into the film's surrealistic plot for a while... but then it exaggerates just too much and a growing sense of silliness starts spilling out of it. In that, it's also too long: nearly two hours and thirty minutes, for such a cute, light story there's no reason whatsoever for that length.

    Could've been better as a shorter, more focused, less leaky story.

    Good stuff still. 7/10.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The pimps' union is called the "Mecs (Guys or Blokes) Paris Protective Association" (MPPA), which also stands for "Motion Picture Producers Association", an organization which had given Director Billy Wilder some trouble.
    • Goofs
      The shadow of the boom mic can be seen on the brown wall to the right of the screen just after Nestor shows up in Irma's apartment following his jailbreak. It shows up behind Lefevre just after Irma's sarcastic remark that Nestor can be found in jail.
    • Quotes

      Moustache: But that's another story...

    • Alternate versions
      The MGM/UA VHS print had the 1994 United Artists logo but in the other releases, the opening and closing MGM logos are shown.
    • Connections
      Alternate-language version of Irma la Douce (1972)
    • Soundtracks
      Ah Dis Donc, Dis Donc
      Music by Marguerite Monnot

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 1963 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sweet Irma
    • Filming locations
      • Pont Royal Bridge Paris, France(River Scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Phalanx Productions
      • The Mirisch Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $52
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 27 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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