Le Temps des oeufs durs (1958)
Directed by Norbert Carbonnaux

Film Review

Hardly recognisable as the work of the man who directed the enjoyably daft Candide ou l'optimisme au XXe siècle (1960), this insipid comedy struggles to raise so much as a grudging titter, in spite of having a cast replete with comic prowess. Norbert Carbonnaux's brand of anarchic comedy is best utilised on films that are essentially plotless; in Le Temps des oeufs durs, which is plot heavy, his humour is smothered to death almost from the word go.  Heaven alone knows how Darry Cowl became one of the most popular comedians in France - what he passes off for comedy is (to this reviewer at least) only marginally less painful to endure than having a wisdom tooth extracted without an aesthetic.  The infinitely more talented Fernand Gravey, Pierre Mondy and Jacques Dufilho help to provide some relief from the endlessly irritating Cowl, but their efforts are pretty well wasted on what is no more than a tedious distraction for masochists with an exceedingly high boredom threshold.

Film Synopsis

Garage attendant Louis Stainval is a shy daydreamer with no money.  One day, he wins a large sum of money via the national lottery and decides to spice up his life.  He prevents a failed artist named Raoul Grandvivier from killing himself and takes him home.  Here, Louis meets Raoul's beautiful daughter Lucie and immediately falls in love.  So that he can go on seeing Lucie, Louis pays frequent calls on Raoul, ostensibly to buy his paintings.   The paintings are so bad that Louis just throws them into the river Seine.  Because he has found someone to buy his work, Raoul begins to believe that he is a serious painter.  This misunderstanding will cause a great deal of trouble...