Appelez-moi Mathilde (1969)

Appelez-moi Mathilde is a French film comedy first released in 1969, directed by Pierre Mondy.  The film stars Jacqueline Maillan, Jacques Balutin, Guy Bedos, Bernard Blier and Jacques Dufilho.  It has also been released under the title: Call Me Mathilde.  Our overall rating for this film is: mediocre.


One evening, Mathilde de Blanzac is kidnapped by a band of crooks and taken to a deserted farm.  Whilst they are waiting for the ransom to be paid, a pilot who has just ejected from a fighter plane lands on their hideout.  Mathilde convinces the pilot to pretend to be a Russian cosmonaut, to lead the kidnappers to think they have a far more valuable hostage...

Appelez-moi Mathilde is the one and only film to be directed by the versatile comic actor Pierre Mondy.  Despite some enthusiastic performances from Jacqueline Maillan (one of France’s greatest comediennes) and Michel Serrault, the film doesn’t get anywhere near to fulfilling its comic potential and is a tired, plodding affair with a very junvenile idea of comedy.  The drab sets and static photography don’t help, but it’s Mondy’s bland direction and a dull narrative that are most aggravating.  Francis Veber’s script does however contain a number of very funny jokes, which make the film just about bearable.

© James Travers 2007

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