La Folie des grandeurs

Another one of those 4 euro VHS specials from the dusty bin, but one I was looking forward to seeing. I thought it was pleasantly passable and will watch it again. Highlights: Defunes is funny as always, squeaking and quacking like a broken duck call. To quote from one of the earlier films "Il m'epate!" he's astonishing in being able to deliver so much physical comedy. Bouncing around like a beach ball, puffed up like a banty rooster, barely able to keep his giant ego intact while being chased by peasants with pitchforks or trying to escape a bedroom peccadillo. And I love his mugging - especially the greedy glitter in his squinty eyes.

Yves Montand is surprisingly funny. The final scene where he and Defunes are stuck on the windlass as human donkeys in some nameless North African desert is hilarious. But all in all I think Bourvil did this kind of role better. Montand is suave and dumb, while Bourvil is dumb yet impossibly suave, and has a touch of human kindness. I do like Montand as Papet in the Florette films, and even more so with a cigarette hanging from his lips in Wages of Fear. I like him here, too, but he does suave and sinister best.

All in all, entertaining. But I'll watch the Corniaud several times before I watch this again.

Quite a good movie done by Gerard Oury (who would direct De Funès later in "Rabbi Jacob"). The greedy and wicked Don Salluste (De Funes) gets dishonored by the Queen and King of Spain. By some inadvertance, Sallustre's valet Blaze, in love with the Queen is used by his master by passing as a noble man, only to get revenge and get his position back. However, it backfires somewhat, as the witty Blaze (as Don Cesar) also makes enemies from taxpayers, though at the beginning of the movie, he acts as a Robin Hood. And accidentally woos the Queen's matron instead.

A must see, especially when at a time poor people are exploited by the rich, and the rich makes everything not to pay a single penny of taxes to the Royals.

Louis de Funes and Yves Montand make a good duo here !

As all other comments have pointed out, this is a real delight, thanks to top acting and directing talent, great dialogs, clever parody of Morricone and spaghetti westerns... I know the film by heart, as it has been on french TV at least once a year since it was made: 30 years ago! I'd really be interested in knowing what kind of entertainment value people from the USA, people who are neither living near France nor in a french speaking environment, find in this movie. Because it seems so very specifically french to me...

And I noticed that more or less every comment here comes from someone who's got either a language or some other European strings attached helping them getting the movie's humor.

Louis de Funès is a cult figure in France, he is an artist apart from everyone else. I love him, and I would be so curious to know what effect he, as well as that french comedy style, have on someone who doesn't have my cultural background...

Anyway, to anyone who has the opportunity to see this film, it's quite a curiosity, unique in its own way!

You don't need to be a Francophone to enjoy this one...but it helps. The film, which has stood the test of time, remains one of the best satirical comedies about power and the idiots who crave it. If you pay close attention to the dialogue (or subtitles), you'll discover dozens of witty lines that are still pertinent today. The film is set in 16th century Spain, but it could have been set in any contemporary society. Do you want to make fun of government? Watch this!

This movie is something my mother and her brothers have talked about since I can remember myself. It was showed on TV here in Iceland some 30 years ago and after few minutes when they realized how funny it was, they threw a videotape in to own it. Couple of years later the Adventures of Jacob the Rabbin was also showed and of course they made sure to own that one too. Since then they've been on the lookout for French comedies. I finally saw this movie 2 weeks ago.

I don't speak French (besides "oui", "mademoiselle" and "monsieur") but just looking at Louis de Funès and Yves Montand talking and acting is hilarious! The plot is more than in many comedies today, it's timeless in a way, you only need to have eyes or ears to enjoy this film! The second time I saw this film I was laughing before the scenes had happened.

Truly a masterpiece. I'm beginning to adore French movies, I think.