Film Review
After the commercial success of
Flic
ou voyou (1978), director Georges Lautner and actor Jean-Paul Belmondo were reunited
in their next film,
Le Guignolo (along with most of the cast and production team
of their previous film). This time, Lautner had the advantage of a considerably
greater budget and practically no constraints on the film's scenario or location.
The director was keen to make a film in Venice and was also eager to return to the comedy
thriller which earned him fame in the 1960s, hoping to repeat the sucess of such films
as
Les Tontons flinguers
(1963). The result was
Le Guignolo, a fast-moving, rather incoherent, but
fun, comedy spy thriller.
Whilst this is an entertaining film, it is marred (as in many of Lautner's films) by its
unbridled excesses. With so many subplots and characters, it is a real struggle
to keep up with the film, which surges on at a relentless pace, often to the detriment
of its better points. This matters not so much because, somehow, it never manages
to run out of steam, and the jokes and action stunts just keep coming. The
sumptuous locations and Henri Decae's beautiful photography of Venice also help to mask
the film's weak points.
The film includes some of Jean-Paul Belmondo's most impressive stunts, most famously the
extended shot where he is suspended from a helicopter flying high over Venice - a remarkable
feat for a man in his mid-forties and perhaps the clearest testimony of his courage or
mad daring.
With its mix of burlesque comedy and conventional crime thriller,
Le Guignolo is
something of a schizophrenic film. In some ways this is a good thing, because it
introduces an element of tension which is otherwise lacking and always keeps the audience
guessing as to what will happen next. On the downside, the two styles sometimes
work against each other - for example, the comedy undermining the film's serious moments,
and the latter rendering some of the comedy decidely unpalatable.
Despite some very negative criticism when it was first released,
Le Guignolo was
a commercial success, attracting nearly 2.9 million spectators in France (somewhat less,
however, than
Flic ou voyou).
© James Travers 2002
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Georges Lautner film:
Est-ce bien raisonnable? (1981)
Film Synopsis
Within days of leaving prison, international conman Alexandre Dupré
is soon back to his old habits, hoping to make his fortune by preying on
the gullibility and greed of others. On a luxury liner, convincingly
disguised as a rich Indian prince, he sets about gaining the confidence of
the wealthy heiress Sophie Chaperon, not knowing that she is up to the same
nefarious game as he is. Undeterred by this setback, Alexandre heads
off for Venice to try to palm a copy of a stolen Canaletto off onto some
unsuspecting Japanese businessmen. Before the plane comes into land,
a stranger approaches the conman and asks him to take his briefcase through
customs for him.
The mysterious stranger is shot dead at the airport before he can reclaim
the briefcase, which unbeknown to Alexandre contains a valuable piece of
microfilm hidden inside a lighter. It seems that the French security
services are not the only ones who are keen to get their hands on the microfilm,
which holds details of a revolutionary new fuel. Before he knows it,
Alexandre is being hotly pursued by numerous rival agents who are ready to
kill to recover the priceless information he unwittingly has in his possession
and which may ultimately cost him his life...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.