Monsieur Grégoire s'évade (1946)
Directed by Jacques Daniel-Norman

Film Review

Monsieur Grégoire s'évade would be an instantly forgettable film were it not for the presence of Bernard Blier.  Undeterred by the hopelessly muddled script he is saddled with, Blier turns in one of his best comedy performances and, in doing so, single-handedly salvages this creaking heap of mediocrity.  The film feels like a dry run for those classic French comedy thrillers of the 60s and 70s, in which Blier was in his element, often aided and abetted by director Georges Lautner.  It's a long way from Le Monocle noir (1961) and Les Tontons flinguers (1963), but Monsieur Grégoire s'évade plays to Blier's strengths and with Jules Berry thrown in it can hardly be called dull.

Director Jacques Daniel-Norman had some success with hit-and-miss comedies of this kind, although his directing ability was minimal and he seldom made the best use of any acting talent that came his way.  Daniel-Norman's oeuvre includes some amiable crowdpleasers such as L'Aventure est coin de la rue (1944), but also some Grade A stinkers, the worst offender being the truly execrable Tino Rossi vehicle Son dernier Noël (1952).  Monsieur Grégoire s'évade takes a devil of a long time to get itself off the launch pad, but once it is in flight, it's not too bad.  There's a respectable comedy here somewhere, but, half-buried in dross and crude pastiche, it's a struggle to see it, even with Blier busily firing on most of his cylinders.

Film Synopsis

Alex Grégoire leads the most mundane of existences.  A humble clerk for an insurance company, he can have no idea of the improbable adventures that lie in store for him when he wins a crossword competition.  Before he knows it, he is drawn into a twisted criminal intrigue worthy of the most devious thriller writer.  It all began when Grégoire was mistaken for a crook by the infamous jewel thief Charles Tuffal.  The latter is convinced that our hero - or rather, the man he mistakes for our hero - knows the whereabouts of a stolen haul of diamonds, and so naturally he is keen to enlist his help in recovering the gems.  Grégoire realises he is in deep water when gangsters and cops start taking turns to harass him.  Throw in an irresistible femme fatale, Lina, and a muscle-bound wrestler, Paulo, and what our timid insurance clerk has to contend with is a plot that Dashiell Hammett would gladly claim as his own.  In this situation, there is only option open to poor Grégoire - he has to go on the run as fast as his legs will carry him!