Les Bidasses en folie is a French war film first released in 1971, directed by Claude Zidi.  The film stars Jean-Guy Fechner, Gérard Filipelli, Luis Rego, Gérard Rinaldi and Jean Sarrus.  It has also been released under the title: Crazy Boy’s Private War.  Our overall rating for this film is: mediocre.


Five friends – Jean-Guy, Phil, Gérard, Luis and Jean – are united by a single passion, to form a rock band.  First they need money to buy the musical instruments, so they set about getting work.  This proves to be a disaster, but the boys persevere, and with a little help from a friend, Crème, they win a talent contest.  This promising start to their career is cut short when they are summoned to an army base to begin their military service.  Thus begins a harrowing and unforgettable ordeal… for poor Sergeant Bellec.

After their success of their first film, La Grande java(1969), the musical quintet known as The Charlots bounced back with more of the same – madcap slapstick and hippy antics revolving around a meagre plot.  Whilst some of the jokes are painfully laboured and a little predictable, many are truly inventive and very funny.  What the film lacks in pacing, narrative cohesion and credible characterisation, it makes up with its manic sense of fun and a few hilarious set piece jokes.  The film also marked the directorial debut of Claude Zidi, who would have a prolific career as a director of popular French comedies over the following two decades.

© James Travers 2005

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