Le Coq du régiment (1933) - film review

Médard and Lavirette have been friends since childhood.  Both enter the army and end up in the same barracks, although Médard is a modest soldier whilst Lavriette has risen to officer ranks.  Even though he is married, Lavriette still has a reputation as a womaniser, hence his nickname “le coq du régiment”.  Within hours of promising his wife that she is in the only woman for him, Lavriette finds himself falling for the charms of another member of the fair sex.  Realising his indiscretion, Lavriette somehow has to find a way out.  A friend advises him to swap places with Médard; by pretending to be a mere soldier, Lavriette hopes to put off his new female admirer.  The plan backfires when another officier mistakes Lavriette for Médard and engages him as his personal attendant.  How will the mix-up be resolved?

Comic giant of French cinema Fernandel stars in this typical 1930s French farce, a conventional piece of vaudeville intended purely to entertain the masses.  Although both the plot and production values are pretty simplistic, if not to say absolutely shoddy, by today’s standards, this kind of lowbrow comedy was enormously popular in its day.  Even though the unsophisticated storyline has no surprises, the film has retained some of its charm, and the fun lies not in the script, but in the eccentric, almost theatrical, performances from an instantly likeable cast.

© James Travers 2006

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