Fric-Frac (1939) - film review

A jeweller’s assistant, Marcel, meets and instantly falls in love with the beautiful Loulou, even though he is engaged to be married to his employer’s daughter, Renée.  Loulou and her boyfriend, Jo, are in truth petty crooks.  They play on Marcel’s gullibility, making him an unwitting accomplice in a jewel robbery...

Fric-frac is a direct adaptation of a popular stage play by Édouard Bourdet and Fernand Trignol, which starred Michel Simon and Vector Boucher.  In the film version, Boucher’s role is played by Fernandel, whose apparent childlike naiveté makes him ideal for the part.  He is joined by Michel Simon, reprising his stage role, and Arletty – both acting legends in their own right.

With such a strong line-up, the film could hardly fail, and it succeeds mainly on the strength of its stars’ formidable performances.  Even though it is more theatrical than cinematographic, the film is top-notch entertainment, with all of the lead actors exploiting to the full the comedy the script offers them.

Although it does not show on screen, the making of this film proved to be a headache for director Maurice Lehmann, arising from the endless clash of egos involving Michel Simon and Fernandel.  Not surprisingly, this is the only film where the two actors ever appeared on the same set together.

© James Travers 2001

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