La Gueule de l’autre (1979) - film review

Martial Perrin is the president of a right-wing political party which is gearing itself up for a forthcoming election.  When he learns that a notorious criminal named Kraus has escaped from prison, Perrin panics and goes into hiding.  His deputy, Constant, hires Perrin’s cousin, Gilbert, an actor who is a perfect double of Perrin, to replace him.  What Gilbert does no know is that the killer Kraus is bumping off the people who were implicated in the affair for which he was arrested, and that Perrin is next on his list...

You get two Michel Serrault’s for the price of one in this frothy mix of satirical comedy and burlesque farce written by the popular actor-writer Jean Poiret (whose best known work is the original stage version of La Cage aux folles).  Serrault certainly gives good entertainment value, demonstrating that he is capable of playing serious and comic roles with equal success.  In this film he plays two very different characters, a cowardly politician and a timid comedian made famous by a deodorant ad.  Serrault is joined by a number of other talented and well-known actors, including Curd Jürgens, Bernadette Lafont, Michel Blanc and Jean Poiret himself.

The comedy is typically French – relying mainly on clever wordplay, which is often very subtle – although there is also a fair amount of theatrical farce to help move things along.  Some parts of the film are outrageously funny, such as the scene where Gilbert has to mime to a tape recording of one of his cousin’s speeches – the pitfalls of relying on technology become all too apparent.

© James Travers 1999

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