Le Schpountz (1938)

Le Schpountz is a French film comedy first released in 1938, directed by Marcel Pagnol.  The film stars Fernandel, Orane Demazis, Léon Belières and Robert Vattier.  It has also been released under the title: Heartbeat.  Our overall rating for this film is: very good.


Casimir and Irénée work in their uncle’s grocer’s shop in a Provençal village.  Whilst Casimir sticks to his job, Irénée only dreams of becoming a film star.  When a film company arrives in the area, Irénée seizes the opportunity and asks for a job as an actor.  The film production team are amused by the pretensions of this "schpountz" (a naïve fool who sees himself as a film star) and they offer him a false contract with a studio in Paris.  Believing that stardom awaits him, Irénée sets out for Paris...

Marcel Pagnol uses this engaging comic farce as an effective vehicle with which to satirise the film industry.   In the role of the star-struck country boy is Fernandel, one of France’s greatest film comics, and in this film he gives one of his best performances, playing one of the major roles in his distinguished career.  Few directors were able to use Fernandel as effectively as Pagnol, and the comedy is brilliantly mingled with pathos, something which suits Fernandel’s child-like air of innocence very well indeed.

The film’s origin is itself quite amusing.  During the making of Pagnol’s earlier film, Angèle, the production team were hassled by member of the public who believed he was destined to become a great film actor.  To get rid of him, the production team gave him a false contract in which he would take over the role of Charles Boyer in a film.  From this amusing incident, Pagnol developed the scenario for what would become Le Schpountz.

The film, popular at the time and still fondly remembered, was remade in 1998 by French director Gérard Oury.

© James Travers 2001

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