Les Combinards (1966)
Directed by Juan Estelrich, Riccardo Pazzaglia

Comedy / Crime

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Les Combinards (1966)
Before he started making pornographic movies (under the name Patrick Aubin), director Jean-Claude Roy had some success with popular mainstream fare, one of his most enjoyable films being this daft comedy depicting the antics of a pair of hopeless conmen.  Les Combinards includes two short segments contributed by two other directors  - Juan Estelrich and Riccardo Pazzaglia - but it is Roy's part of the film that is the most entertaining, mainly because it features the combined comedic talents of Darry Cowl, Michel Serrault and Jacques Bernard.  In spite of a mediocre script, these comic performers manage to wring a fair number of laughs from the well-worn scenario and, whilst the film hardly rates as a classic, it makes for an entertaining little timewaster.  Cowl was most often at his best when paired with another contrasting comedy performer, and the Cowl-Bernard double act works a treat.  However, it is only when Serrault shows up, in the second half of the film, that the urge to laugh becomes irresistible.
© James Travers 2015
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.

Film Synopsis

Léo and Claude are two professional con artists who, having run out of ideas, turn to the newspapers in search of inspiration.  Two stories capture their attention.  In Spain, a man from the country falls foul of two swindlers who con him into buying a tramway in the city.  In Naples, a cunning individual discovers that, by pretending he has an incurable illness after a stay in hospital, he can milk a nation's sympathy with the help of the national press.  Both of these scams have their merits but when Léo and Claude try to imitate them they fall flat on their faces.  Undeterred by this setback, the two men then decide to start up their own bogus marriage business.  The scheme works well until our heroes fall foul of an even more unscrupulous fraudster who has the exact same idea...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Juan Estelrich, Riccardo Pazzaglia, Jean-Claude Roy
  • Script: Jacques Bernard, Jean-Claude Roy
  • Cinematographer: Pierre Levent
  • Music: François de Roubaix
  • Cast: Darry Cowl (Léo), Michel Serrault (Le faux député), Jacques Bernard (Claude), Agnès Spaak (Lucile), Maria Pacôme (Lucienne), Noël Roquevert (Le commissaire), Mary Marquet (Mme Florenne), Pierre Duncan (Le gardien de prison),
  • Country: France / Italy / Spain
  • Language: French / Italian
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 70 min; B&W

The very best of the French New Wave
sb-img-14
A wave of fresh talent in the late 1950s, early 1960s brought about a dramatic renaissance in French cinema, placing the auteur at the core of France's 7th art.
The best of American cinema
sb-img-26
Since the 1920s, Hollywood has dominated the film industry, but that doesn't mean American cinema is all bad - America has produced so many great films that you could never watch them all in one lifetime.
The Golden Age of French cinema
sb-img-11
Discover the best French films of the 1930s, a decade of cinematic delights...
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 best films of Ingmar Bergman
sb-img-16
The meaning of life, the trauma of existence and the nature of faith - welcome to the stark and enlightening world of the world's greatest filmmaker.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright