Film Review
Producer and filmmaker Jean Delannoy is synonymous with the quality
tradition of French cinema. His most significant films -
L'Éternel
retour,
La Symphonie pastorale (winner
of the 1946 Palme d'Or) and
Les Jeux sont faits - were made
in the 1940s and all have stood the test of time. The 1950s was a
prolific decade for Delannoy and included such diverse and successful
films as
La Minute de vérité,
Chiens perdus sans collier,
Marie Antoinette, reine de france,
Notre Dame de Paris,
Maigret tend un piège
and
Les Amitiés particulières.
By the 1960s times had changed and the best of Delannoy's career was
behind him. March 1965 saw the release of his uneven crime comedy
Le Majordome, a film about a
butler involved in a robbery. As a publicity stunt, the original
poster carried the slogan: 'The funniest robbery of the century'.
However, the lightweight storyline is really just an excuse to show off
the imagination and extravagant behaviour of its main character, played
by Paul Meurisse in a part that closely resembles his character from
Georges Lautner's
Monocle
films (
Le Monocle noir, etc.).
If the concept overall lacks subtlety, this is more than compensated
for by Henri Jeanson's crisp and witty dialogue. The result is
far from being a masterpiece but it achieves its ultimate objective of
entertaining its audience. Meurisse is ably supported by the
delightful and distinguished actress Geneviève Page, whose role
is to provide the love/hate relationship with the film's hero.
Page's breakthrough was in the 1956 production of Jules Verne's
Michel Strogoff with German actor
Curd Jurgens. She has played both French and English speaking
roles and has appeared in films with stars such as Jean Marais, Michel
Simon, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Gérard Philipe. She starred
alongside Charlton Heston in the epic
El
Cid and had notable roles in Luis Buñuel's
Belle
de jour, René Clément's
Le Jour et l'heure, Terence Young's
Mayerling
and Billy Wilder's
The Private Life
of Sherlock Holmes.
As the film was a Franco-German production, Jean Delannoy was obliged
to accept the German actor Paul Hubschmid as the bad guy.
Hubschmid starred with Michèle Morgan in
Dis-moi qui tuer and teamed up with
Dany Saval in
Moi et les hommes de
quarante ans. We should not forget the incredible
supporting cast, which includes Noël Roquevert (a stalwart of
French cinema since the 1940s) and a cameo appearance by the French
comedy legend Bourvil, who will later play Paul Meurisse's partner in
crime in Alex Joffé's
La Grosse caisse (1965).
After
Le Majordome, Delannoy
went on to direct another eight films, before retiring in 1995 with
Marie de Nazareth (1995).
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium) 2012
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Jean Delannoy film:
Le Soleil des voyous (1967)
Film Synopsis
By working as a valet to an eminent lawyer who now regrets sending so many
people to the scaffold, Léopold has gained himself a remarkably in-depth
understanding of French law. In his leisure time, he puts this knowledge
to good use for the benefit of his associates in the Parisian underworld.
It is through this latter activity that he comes into contact with Agnès
des Vallières, an attractive woman for whom he would do anything.
It is to please Agnès that Léopold agrees to assist a crook
named Dr Ventoux - better known as The Cat - in his latest criminal exploit.
Little does he suspect that Ventoux is presently engaged to his beloved Agnès.
Realising that he has been duped, Léopold makes up his mind to sabotage
the heist...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.