Les Grands ducs (1996)

Les Grands ducs is a French film comedy-drama first released in 1996, directed by Patrice Leconte.  The film stars Jean-Pierre Marielle, Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort, Catherine Jacob and Michel Blanc.  It has also been released under the title: The Grand Dukes.  Our overall rating for this film is: mediocre.


Victor and Eddie are two ageing actors who seem destined to spend the rest of their careers dashing from theatre to theatre to play bit parts.  When they learn that a touring theatre company is about to start rehearsals for a production of the farce "Scoubidou", they decide it is time for a comeback.  They persuade the play’s producer, Shapiron, to hire them, at a reduced rate, and then coerce their temperamental friend Georges Cox into joining them.  Realising that the show is likely to be a disaster, Shapiron asks his leading lady, Carla Milo, to pull out of the venture so he can collect on the insurance.  When she refuses, the increasingly irrational Shapiron resorts to ever desperate measures to sabotage the production...

Despite the ebullient performances from its three male leads (it is always a pleasure to see Philippe Noiret hamming it up for all he’s worth), Les Grands ducs is a muddled, excessive and far from satisfying work.  With its hurried pace, ram-shackle plot and over-the-top silliness, it sits ill alongside Patrice Leconte’s previous directorial achievements – although, if viewed in the right frame of mind, it can be mildly entertaining.  With a bit more care and attention, Les Grands ducs could have been a much better film, offering a wry look at the life of theatrical folk.  As it is, the film appears to have been conceived as a cheap farce, intended more for the pleasure of its lead actors than for its audience.

© James Travers 2004

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