Le Gendarme à New York

Don't question the decision to take Funes character from Saint Tropez to New York and America. You will spoil the fun you can have. With him the usual suspects come with him (including a nun from the first movie, with almost no function other than being an inside joke for those who've seen the first movie) to the US. Including his dear daughter, which is to be expected.

And again she takes center stage one way or the other. Story wise this seems at least a bit more tight and coherent than the first one, but that is up to you to decide. This also has things like "yellow-face" and stereotypes. You sure shouldn't be too politically correct or easily offended to have some fun with this one ...

This second sequel deals about the Sergeant Marechal Ludovic Cruchot(Louis De Funes),Lieutenant chief adjutant Jerome(Michael Galabru) and Marichal remaining(Jean Lefevre,Grosso,Modo,Christian Marin)are appointed for an International Congress of Gendarmerie in N.Y. They aboard a cruise and his festive daughter Nicole(Genevieve Grad) as stowaway. Nicole has a little too much at the Big Apple and the Gendarmes suffer a shaky ground.There she knows an Italian Carabinieri and a journalist(Alan Scott).

One of the best of Ludovic Cruchot series packs simple humor, slapdash,rip-roaring and lots of fun. Louis De Funes , as always steals the show, he stooges, dances, makes acrobatics and pulls faces and grimaces.Marvelous Genieveve Grad as feisty and likable daughter.The highlights are a brilliant and frenetic choreography about a dancing between Jets and Sharks bands, similarly to West Side Story and Cruchot in middle of the gangs; plus Ludovic playing baseball as pitcher and catcher; besides appears the customary nun driving in N.Y. Known soundtrack leitmotif by Raymond Lefevre used as musical background when the Gendarmes are parading along the city and habitual final march in Saint Tropez. The motion picture is lively filmed by series' director , Jean Girault and based on the characters created by Richard Balducci. It's followed by various sequels: Gendarme get married, Gendarme in balade, Gendarmes and the creatures of outer space and Gendarme and the Gendarmettes. If you like Funes' crazy acting, you'll enjoy this one because he 's overacting with amount mimic gesticulation. The movie is a Funes recital, it's a farce by the master comic to be liked for his fans.

...and not the worst.There are good reasons to watch it: -It was the time of "the France" a luxury liner ,where a lot of of the action takes place.

-Geneviève Grad is well cast as De Funès's daughter .She is very anxious to accompany her dear dad to New-York but as she is not invited ,she 's a stowaway on the ship .

-Her father "seems " to see her sometimes ,but he will never realize she 's been with him all along the way.

-On the streets of the Big Apple,there's a funny spoof on "West Side Story".

Jean Girault was no genius.But his movie is quite entertaining.

It's been a year since we last saw Cruchot (Louis de Funes) and his merry men. That makes it 1965, and the policemen of St. Tropez has been chosen to represent France in a Police Congress in New York.

Cruchot's daughter Nicole (Geneviève Grad) wants to see the USA, but her father will not allow her to join them. The young woman is determined though, and sneaks aboard the ferry. Trying not to let her father find out, she hides from him and without a cabin she sleeps on the deck.

There's a lot of action in this film, more than in the first, both on the ferry and after they have arrived in New York. The two most memorable scenes are first a quite clever little take on "West Side Story" and a baseball fight, that shows that Cruchot has thunder in his bat.

Also worth mentioning is a call back to the first film, where a nun repeats her part, this time in a car in New York!

Nicole finds a room at YWCA, where they don't want the presence of Cruchot.

All in all worth seeing, probably most for the viewers that were born around the time of the making of the film.

I am giving to all films from Gandarme series a 10 out of pure nostalgy. These days around New Year they played on TV all the films and though I can admit that now they do not seem as funny as they once were... still they gave you a really good feeling.

Scene with english lessons is really funny - my tailor is not rich / my flowers are beautiful