La Bourse et la vie
1966 Comedy
Credits
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Summary
Lucien Pélépan, director of a major building firm in
Toulouse, isn’t too pleased when he learns that three of his associates
- the Robinhoude brothers – have managed to lose the ten million francs
that he owes his notary, Laprise. His only way out is to borrow
money from his company, without his boss knowing. He sends two of
his underlings – Migue and Schmidt – to collect the money in cash from
a bank and to meet up with him at the train station. Try as they
might, the three men fail to keep their rendezvous. It was as if
Fate was determined to prevent Pélépan from laying his
hands on the money he desperately needs to save his delicate skin...
Review
An exceptional cast elevates what might have been a routine run-around
comedy into an enjoyable romp with wide appeal. Somewhat
lighter and far less subversive than some of Jean-Pierre Mocky’s later
comedies, this is much more in the vein of the traditional burlesque
French comedy, of the kind that drew large cinema audiences in the
1950s and ’60s. There are some ebullient comic performances from
Fernandel (one of last film roles) and Jean Poiret, and a seemingly
endless array of cameo appearances from other great
talents. Whilst the film isn’t quite able to sustain its
momentum right to the end, there are some memorable jokes along the
way, such as the automobile roulette gag and the sequence where a
car-driving priest relives the Road to Damascus story by dazzling all
on-coming traffic with his headlights. It’s escapist fun
which guarantees a few good laughs and doesn’t insult your
intelligence, whether you are a toddler or a nuclear physicist.
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