La Grande lessive (!) (1968)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Mocky

Comedy
aka: The Big Wash

Film Review

Abstract picture representing La Grande lessive (!) (1968)
Jean-Pierre Mocky's acerbic satire on the harmful influence of television on children and society in general continues to be as relevant forty years after the film was first released - perhaps even more so if the findings of recent studies are to be believed.   However, that is not the main reason for watching La Grande lessive.  The film's main selling point is the dream pairing of Bourvil with Francis Blanche - two of the greatest comic performers in French cinema.  Both actors are in fine form (although Blanche comes close to being outstaged by his blonde wig) and give great value in this madcap knockabout farce.

There are also some great supporting performances - notably from Jean Tissier, who plays the Gallic equivalent of a mad scientist, and Jean Poiret, whose portrayal of a self-serving television executive is less caricature and more grim reality.  Admittedly, the plot - what there is of it - is a bit of a mess and some of the secondary characters are absurd, to a level that is way beyond the bounds of acceptable absurdity, but the film is made with such gusto and has such a sense of fun that you just can't help indulging its excesses, forgiving its occasional longueurs and laughing out loud at its far from sophisticated jokes.  In the best tradition of French farce, the sillier the film gets, the funnier it becomes - and La Grande lessive gets very, very silly in places.
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Jean-Pierre Mocky film:
L'Étalon (1970)

Film Synopsis

Concerned by the harmful effect that watching too much television is having on his pupils, Parisian schoolteacher Armand Saint-Just decides it is time to go on the offensive.  No more petitions, discussions, meetings and pamphlets.  Now it is time to act!  With the assistance of Missenard, a militant P.E. teacher, and Benjamin, a maverick scientist, he hatches a plan that he believes will make him a popular hero.  Each night, the trio climb onto the roofs of the buildings where the pupils live and spray a special chemical compound onto the TV aerials, thereby rendering the owners' televisions useless.  The scheme is a success - the pupils can now do their homework in peace and no longer fall asleep during lessons at school.  But their parents are up in arms - and vent their fury against the Office of French Television.   Lavalette, the director of this august organisation, is determined to resolve the mystery and bring to justice those deviants who are responsible for this moral outrage...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Jean-Pierre Mocky
  • Script: Jean-Pierre Mocky, Claude Penne, Alain Moury (dialogue)
  • Cinematographer: Marcel Weiss
  • Music: François de Roubaix
  • Cast: Bourvil (Armand Saint-Just), Francis Blanche (Dr Loupiac), Roland Dubillard (Missenard), Jean Tissier (Benjamin), Michael Lonsdale (Delaroche), René-Jean Chauffard (Commissaire Aiglefin), Karyn Balm (Mélane), Alix Mahieux (Mme Delaroque), Marcel Pérès (L'inspecteur Toilu), Jean-Claude Rémoleux (L'inspecteur Barbic), Jean Poiret (Jean-Michel Lavalette), Roger Legris (Le père Loupioc), Rudy Lenoir (Le chef de service OVTF), Roger Lumont (Le restaurateur auvergnat), Micha Bayard (La concierge), Philippe Brizard (Le réparateur), André Numès Fils (Le proviseur), Albert Pilette (Futane), Henri Poirier (Le gérant de l'immeuble), Georges Bruce (L'officier de marine)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 95 min
  • Aka: The Big Wash

The silent era of French cinema
sb-img-13
Before the advent of sound France was a world leader in cinema. Find out more about this overlooked era.
The best of Russian cinema
sb-img-24
There's far more to Russian movies than the monumental works of Sergei Eisenstein - the wondrous films of Andrei Tarkovsky for one.
The greatest French film directors
sb-img-29
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.
The best of British film comedies
sb-img-15
British cinema excels in comedy, from the genius of Will Hay to the camp lunacy of the Carry Ons.
The history of French cinema
sb-img-8
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright