Le Bossu (1960)

Le Bossu is a French adventure film first released in 1960, directed by André Hunebelle.  The film is based on a novel by Paul Féval and stars Jean Marais, Bourvil, Sabine Sesselmann, Jean Le Poulain and Hubert Noël.  It has also been released under the title: The Hunchback of Paris.  Our overall rating for this film is: very good.


In the dying days of the reign of Louis XIV, the scheming prince Philippe de Gonzague decides to murder his cousin, Philippe de Nevers, so that he can take both his fortune and his wife, Isabelle de Caylus.  The assassination is thwarted by a noble swordmaster, Henri de Lagardère.  However, in a second ambush, Philippe de Nevers is killed.  Before he dies, he entrusts his one-year old daughter, Aurore, into the care of Lagardère and his servant Passepoil.  Seventeen years later, Lagardère decides the time has come to return Aurore to her mother, and seek a terrible revenge against the man who murdered her father…

André Hunebelle directs this swashbuckling historical romp with gusto and a characteristic cheerfulness, giving French cinema one of its enduring popular classics.  The film stars Jean Marais, an iconic figure in French cinema who, having earned a reputation as a serious actor in the 1940s under the tutelage of his friend and mentor Jean Cocteau, proved to be hugely popular in mainstream French cinema in later years.

The film marks the first collaboration of Marais and Hunebelle; they would work together several times in the following decade, most notably on the three cult Fantômas films of the 1960s.  The film also features Bourvil, who was, at the time, the most popular comic performer in France (although he would soon be eclipsed by Louis de Funès).  Whilst Marais performed the impressive action stunts (an admirable feat for an actor who was well into middle age), Bourvil was on hand to provide comic relief – and the pairing works rather well (noticeably better than the Marais/De Funès pairing in the aforementioned Fantômas films).

Whilst the film may be a little starchy and slow paced for a modern cinema audience, it has retained much of its charm, and the impressive set and costume design gives it the feel of a lavish period production.  Le Bossu was remade by Philippe de Broca in 1997, with Daniel Auteuil cast against type as the hero Lagardère.  This later film is certainly better paced and more stylish than previous adaptations of the Paul Féval novel, but possibly lacks the fun, authenticity and humanity of Hunebelle’s film.


The commercial success of Le Bossu prompted Hunebelle to repeat its winning formula in his next film, Le Capitan (1960), another swashbuckling action film in which Jean Marais was partnered with Bourvil for a second time.

© James Travers 2004

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