Le shérif et les extraterrestres

This is a kid's film from the late 70's. Strictly speaking, it is not a good film. But I've given it ten stars. One can view a film as a critic, and express a judgment; or one can simply grade it on how much enjoyment you got from it. Often these two things are very close together, particularly when one is assessing a film that was made recently.

But in this case they diverge, for me, quite significantly. If you are looking for the godfather, raging bull, network or some other film that has been preserved for posterity by the library of congress, then this is not for you.

There are quite a few slapstick fight scenes, which I tended to skip through, since they are a bit boring. A fair amount of the film can be a bit boring actually. It's a kids film.

However, what makes it so enjoyable is firstly that it is blissfully surreal, and entirely lacking in pretension to be more than it is. The director absolutely loves to repeatedly play parts of a slapstick scene backwards, and then forwards, and then backwards again. This is appalling film-making; but he could care. It's for kids.

This lends it an innocence, which is shared by all the characters. Essentially everyone but the sheriff is a child (although there's only one actual child with a significant role), and behaves as a child might behave in the circumstances. It views the world through the unselfconscious prism of a child's fantasy; from inside a fort made of cushions in the living room.

If you enjoy feeling like a child again, then this might work for you.

But, secondly, what ultimately makes it enjoyable enough to merit ten stars is that it is really quite touching. As I say, the only adult character is the sheriff, who very early in the film takes on the role of guardian to the central child protagonist, and spends the remainder of the film going to great lengths to take responsibility for a strange (i.e. not his own) child.

The sheriff develops a profound affection for the child. He frequently picks him up, smiles at him, and so on. He generally assumes a parental role.

In one scene, he rubs noses with the child.

This scene made me wince. In 2009, for a large, bearded man to exhibit physical affection for a child that isn't his (possibly even one that *is* his) immediately provokes suspicion of pederasty. Clearly, this is very ingrained in me, since I winced.

But the film was made in 1979; a more innocent time at least in that respect (although one suspects there were as many pederasts in 1979 as there are now, just not on the news).

So, it was very heartwarming to see that dynamic; a dynamic that worked as well as it did because of the choice of actors for the sheriff and kid, and the fact that their performances were curiously 3 dimensional in an otherwise 2 dimensional film.

The film reminded me what we (especially men, and possibly also children) have lost in this climate of hysteria over pedophilia.

"Why did I wince at that scene?" I thought to myself. Clearly the film makers thought nothing of it.

I remember when I was a child ( in the 80's - not that long ago) it was OK for people to pat you on the head, engage you in conversation and so on without anyone feeling awkward or concerned.

It is a shame that the world in which this film was made has been replaced by one in which many parents are cautious even to let their kids outside.

But this is a film in which kids play outside, and to the extent you are willing or able to participate, you can join in.

---update Feb 2011

I don't write that many reviews on here. I've just written another one. and that took me back here.

Ever since I wrote this (under my real name) and especially straight after wards I felt great concern for obvious reasons. (i.e. some weird person stalking me for being a pederast)

I guess the thing is that quite apart from a silly film I would not ever encourage my kid to speak to adults she doesn't know, anywhere. pretty much ever.

Because we live like that now, and that's that.

But what I was saying in the review is this saddens me, and I don't think it has to be like that. It wasn't in 1979. It is like that now though.

But when she's older she's damned well playing outside. In the city. unsupervised.

Trees don't climb themselves, and it's no kind of childhood unless you break something.

But not too far. Or for long.

No kid would suddenly decide to jump into the arms of large bearded sheriffs on seeing this. Or want to watch it, or be able to pay attention.

It was aimed at me, when I was a kid. And that's probably the source of the nostalgia and crappy cultural commentary.

Hence the 10 stars. I'm pretty erudite, and pretty eloquent (also way modest) and I watch tons of films. This is really the only one I've written about with serious thought.

Twice.

This film has all the usual elements of the 'Alien Visitor' format and doesn't tax the viewer, but it is truly memorable in places. I haven't seen this film for a long time, yet I still laugh every time I think about H7-25 with his time reversal gadget, making his pursuers leap in and out of a helicopter. Bud Spencer as the sheriff looks and acts like he should have been in spaghetti westerns, yet this approach works beautifully, especially in the scene where the kid eats his sandwich. This film is just the thing to watch the day after a big night out. Sit back, stop thinking, be amused.

Bud Spencer as an American cop against botcher military forces . This time the bouncing Spencer is a police named Hall from Coweta County . This amusing film deals with a young humanoid alien who gets stranded on earth hooks up with a police officer . When an Alien aircraft suddenly crashes on Earth, there appears a five years old kid ( Cary Guffey of ¨close encounters in third phase¨) named H7-25 who is lost such as E.T. The corpulent sheriff befriends the little boy , both of them establish a lively and enjoyable relationship . Meantime , newspapers from the city of Arizona State publicize : ¨UFo alarm in Newnam ¨. While Spencer attempts to help the little Alien , the cop confronts an US Army captain (Raimund Harmstorf). The grizzled old sheriff in a western town and attempts to help him solve a tough case, but at the beginning the sheriff doesn't want any help from a "kid." Later on , the Sheriff Hall takes in charge of the little kid who tells he comes from a faraway galaxy . The kid holds supernatural power , using a strange artifact , furthermore he speaks animals as a dog and a horse . When military attempt to kidnap the satellite kid , the Supersheriff and a rogue thief who previously have been detained , join forces to defend the little H7-25 . The police gets to free the kid from some coast guard helicopters in an amusing and repetitive scenes . It all climaxes at the market of ¨Coweta City fire Dept City¨ where takes places a silly fighting between Spencer along with his friends against government soldiers . Spencer goes into the action he turns the score , fighting like a Bulldozer.

This entertaining , engaging movie is crammed of fist-fights, punches , kicks, overwhelming stunt-work and lots of humor. Bud Spencer is top-notch as one army cop taking on a group of American soldiers and as always he makes his own stunts with comic touches , as usual . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times , but frenetic fight-sequences make up for it . It's an amusing romp plenty of brawls , including amusing bounds and leaps at a mall and a supermarket. This is a nice and funny juvenile story for Bud Spencer fans , as he's delight and likable . It packs action, fist-play, slapdash, humor with tongue-in-cheek and is quite bemusing . This release has some cool and several hilarious moments ; however the Terence Hill-Bud Spencer duo films are much better . The film isn't always good , sometimes is fresh and diverting and on a couple of memorable occasions , it's frankly delicious. The movie displays innumerable laughters , jokes and slapstick . In the picture appears usual secondaries from B Italian series seen in several genres as Spaghetti Western and Peplum as Robert Hundar , Joe Bugner, Giovanni Cianfriglia , Octaviano Dell'Acqua and Riccardo Pizzuti . Catching and commercial musical score by Guido and Mauricio De Angelis -Spaghetti Western's ordinaries- and composed by synthesizer, as usual . The motion picture written by Marcelo Fondato is middlingly directed by Michele Lupo who also directed ¨Bulldozer¨ with similar actors , screenwriter and technicians . This is a passable entertaining juvenile that will appeal to Italian comedy buffs and is followed by a sequel ¨The supersheriff¨ also with the likable duo protagonist . In the 70s and 80s Bud Spencer starred various movies without Terence Hill , as he made three kind of films : 1ª he performed pictures with a little boy as partner as ¨Banana Joe ¨ , ¨Aladino¨and ¨The Supersheriff¨ ; 2ª about cop named Flatfoot or Rizzo, also called Piedone, such as, ¨Flatfoot in Cairo , Flatfoot in Hong Kong, Flatfoot in Egypt , Flatfoot in Africa¨, furthermore the ¨Extralargo¨ series 3ª about diverse characters as a medieval knight as ¨Soldier of fortune¨ , a swindler as ¨Mr Charleston¨ or a fisherman , ex-player as ¨Bulldozer¨ and a Sheriff in this one. Rating : Average , only for Bud Spencer fans.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who loved that movie from my childhood. I've watched a lot of movies that featured Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill and I've always been a fan of theirs. Unfortunately, a website of theirs is in another language and it's really hard to track any of their movies down. If you like that movie check out the buddy movies featuring Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill. Awesome!!!!! I believe most of their movies are subtitled and seem to have a voice over. But nevertheless I enjoyed all of their movies. I happened to catch My Name is Nobody on cable the other day and I believe I seen Bud Spencer as one of the three guys who try to have Nobody take a basket that had a ticking bomb in it to the hero Jack Beauregard. I'm yet to catch up on all of their movies.

I think is a sweet, tender and funny movie. Child is wonderful and Bud is genial. Remember scene fishing in the lake. And music is very correct and right. I think is a movie to watch all the family. Greetings from Barcelona