Monsieur Leguignon, lampiste (1952)
Directed by Maurice Labro

Film Review

Based on a highly popular radio series, 'Le Tribunal', Monsieur Leguignon, lampiste is a heart-warming mix of comedy and melodrama, presumably intended to help lift the spirits of the working classes in the midst of post-war economic gloom.  The film certainly has some bold left-wing undertones, with solidarity of the working classes, parodying of the French legal system and outright condemnation of self-serving money traders being its main themes.  Yves Deniaud gives a sympathetic performance as an ordinary working class man who manages to defeat bad luck and human malice, through a combination of naïve optimism and generosity of spirit.  The great Louis de Funès appears fleetingly in this film, well over a decade before he established himself as one of France's leading film comics.  The film's popularity led to a sequel, Leguignon guérisseur (1954), with Deniaud reprising his most famous role.

Film Synopsis

Diogène Leguignon is a humble railway employee whose good intentions rarely result in a happy outcome.  Evicted from his home, he and his wife are forced to take up residence in a rundown shack in a less than desirable part of town.  One evening, a gang of local children break into his new home and uncover a large stash of treasure underneath the floorboards.  Leguignon's attempts to claim ownership of the unexpected treasure result in him being dragged into court and branded a crook.  After coming out of prison, the good natured lamplighter gets together with his neighbours and outlines his plan to use the money obtained from the sale of the treasure to construct a new apartment block on the site of his dilapidated house.  Leguignon needs more than good will to complete his dream project.  When the money runs out he has to go into partnership with some unscrupulous bankers.  It is then that his troubles really begin...