Les Hommes ne pensent qu'à ça (1954)
Directed by Yves Robert

Comedy
aka: Men Think Only of That

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Les Hommes ne pensent qu'a ca (1954)
Les Hommes ne pensent qu'à ça was the first feature-length film to be directed by Yves Robert, a successful actor who had made two short films a few years previously.  Likeable as it is, the film is completely overshadowed by Robert's next offering Ni vu... ni connu (1958), and the string of box office triumphs that followed - La Guerre des boutons (1961), Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire (1972), Un éléphant ça trompe énormément (1976) and La Gloire de mon père (1990).  Already in his first feature Robert's penchant for comedy of all kinds - mostly  parody, slapstick and farce (Feydeau on rocket-propelled rollerskates) - is readily apparent, and we shouldn't be too surprised that Robert was one of the first film directors to make full use of Louis de Funès' formidable comic talent, many years before the actor became a humongous star.

Here, Louis de Funès is at his most outrageous as a wildly jealous Spanish suitor to a Russian countess (here, the funniest thing about him is his accent, an odd mix of Spanish, Italian and Croatian with a dash of what sounds like Klingon).  The film's comedy highlight is a Feydeau-like chase which ends with de Funès pursuing his rival (Jean Bellanger) over the rooftops of Paris and then into Nadine Tallier's bathroom.  This and some of the film's sillier escapades would not be out of place in a silent comedy of the 1920s and the film is, if nothing else, a lively homage to the golden age of slapstick.  As welcome as de Funès' presence is, it is another comedy giant who makes the biggest impression - Jean-Marie Amato, absolutely revelling in a part that was obviously written for him, an amiably Mephistophelean Don Juan.

Jean-Marie Amato is a name that is all but forgotten today but in the 1950s his was one of the most recognisable voices of French radio, thanks to his leading role in the phenomenally popular series Signé Furax.  Amato was better known for his stage work than his films, and it was in the theatre that he had his biggest successes.  Les Hommes ne pensent qu'à ça was the first film in which Amato had a credited role and it is arguably the one in which he is at his best, perfectly partnered with the more down-to-earth Jean Bellanger, who incidentally scripted the film.  Although Amato appeared in several films afterwards (always in minor roles), stardom came only when French radio gave him the role for which he is best known, that of the criminal mastermind Edmond Furax.  The series ended when Amato committed suicide in 1961, aged 35.  The main reason for watching Yves Robert's first film - daft and aimless though it is - is to enjoy Amato's bravura comedy turn.  The 'film within a film' sequence in which his Don Juan wages war against a particularly malicious Casanova (and invariably comes off worst) is a riot of non-stop hilarity that leaves you wondering why someone who was as charismatic and effortlessly funny as Amato never became a star of French cinema.
© James Travers 2015
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Next Yves Robert film:
Ni vu, ni connu (1958)

Film Synopsis

Alfred is madly in love with Nicole, a pretty assistant in a dairy shop, but he is too shy to approach her.  Taking pity on the poor man, Don Juan appears and takes it upon himself to instruct Alfred in the delicate art of seduction.  After several mishaps, Alfred finally manages to repay his tutor's faith in him by stealing the affections of a Russian countess, much to the chagrin of the latter's jealous Spanish husband, Célosso.  As the latter goes chasing after Alfred, Don Juan disguises himself as his pupil so that he can add Nicole to his list of amorous conquests....
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Yves Robert
  • Script: Jean Bellanger
  • Cinematographer: Paul Soulignac
  • Music: Georges Van Parys
  • Cast: Jean-Marie Amato (Don Juan), Jean Bellanger (Alfred), Louisa Colpeyn (La comtesse russe), Catherine Erard (Nicole), Jacques Fabbri (M. Jacques), Gabrielle Fontan (La vieille dame dans l'escalier), Louis de Funès (Célosso), Jacques Hilling (Le roi Dagobert), Geneviève Morel (La mère qui marie sa fille), Jacques Morel (Le parfait séducteur), Annie Noël (Poupette), Guy Piérauld (Le baron haussmann), Yves Robert (L'ancien combattant), Sylvain (Le voisin qui marie sa fille), Edmond Tamiz (Casanova), Rosy Varte (Dolorès), Laurence Badie (La bonne), Simone Berthier (Une collègue de Nicole à la crèmerie), Yvonne Clech (Une femme du monde), Hubert Deschamps (L'homme fortuné)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Black and White
  • Runtime: 70 min
  • Aka: Men Think Only of That

The best of American film noir
sb-img-9
In the 1940s, the shadowy, skewed visual style of 1920s German expressionism was taken up by directors of American thrillers and psychological dramas, creating that distinctive film noir look.
The Golden Age of French cinema
sb-img-11
Discover the best French films of the 1930s, a decade of cinematic delights...
The very best American film comedies
sb-img-18
American film comedy had its heyday in the 1920s and '30s, but it remains an important genre and has given American cinema some of its enduring classics.
The very best of French film comedy
sb-img-7
Thanks to comedy giants such as Louis de Funès, Fernandel, Bourvil and Pierre Richard, French cinema abounds with comedy classics of the first rank.
The very best of German cinema
sb-img-25
German cinema was at its most inspired in the 1920s, strongly influenced by the expressionist movement, but it enjoyed a renaissance in the 1970s.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © frenchfilms.org 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright