Que personne ne sorte (1962)
Directed by Ivan Govar

Comedy / Crime / Thriller

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Que personne ne sorte (1962)
Stanislas-André Steeman's detective hero Inspecteur Wens makes his final bow in this Franco-Belgium comedy-thriller, this time in the guise of Philippe Nicaud, playing the son of the original Inspecteur Wens of L'Assassin habite au 21 (1942) as portrayed by Pierre Fresnay. Que personne ne sorte is very different to Wens's previous screen outings - a much lighter affair with none of the film noir trappings of those moody 1940s films. In fact, it would be more accurate to describe it as a thriller parody, similar in vein to Georges Lautner's Monocle films and his subsequent hit Les Tontons flingeurs (1963).  By accident or by design, the film also has some surprising similarities with the 1955 British classic comedy The Ladykillers (1955).

The film's main asset is Jacqueline Maillan, the doyenne of popular French comedy, in a role perfectly suited to make the most of her comedic talents. As in Pouic-Pouic (1963) (the film that made Louis de Funés a star) and the zany wartime comedy Papy fait de la résistance (1983), Maillan makes an already absurd situation many times more hilarious by playing things straight and apparently failing to notice the mahyem going on around her. Who better to portray an amiable widow playing host to a houseful of trigger-happy gangsters? In common with all of the half a dozen or so films directed by the now forgotten Belgian filmmaker Ivan Govar Que personne ne sorte was not a commercial success, although it is hard to see why - it is a very funny film.
© James Travers 2002
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.

Film Synopsis

A lonely widow Adélia is delighted when Jo, the charming man she met on holiday, turns up at her Bruges mansion one Christmas Eve.  She is less pleased when Jo's five other friends and an attractive young woman appear a short while later, but she agrees to let them all stay in her home.  She does not realise that her guests are a band of notorious gangsters who have just kidnapped an ambassador's daughter.  She is equally unaware that Inspecteur Wens has just been assigned to eliminate the six gangsters in the shortest possible time...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Ivan Govar
  • Script: Ivan Govar, Stanislas-André Steeman (novel), Jacques Séverac, André Tabet (dialogue)
  • Cinematographer: Pierre Levent
  • Music: Louiguy
  • Cast: Philippe Nicaud (Wens), Jacqueline Maillan (Adelia Plunkett), Marie Daëms (Karine), Jean-Pierre Marielle (Jo Adams), Jess Hahn (Bugsy Weis), Jacques Dumesnil (Le directeur de la police), Maria Pacôme (Pauline), Max de Rieux (Professeur Schwarz), Jean Bouchaud (Peter Panto), Joëlle Gozzi (Paméla), Gold (Le chien), Roger Dutoit (Charlie Ross), Noël Roquevert (Révérend Murdoch), Stéphane Steeman, André Dumas, Jacques Bedos, Mireille Colman
  • Country: France / Belgium
  • Language: French
  • Support: Black and White
  • Runtime: 90 min

The very best of French film comedy
sb-img-7
Thanks to comedy giants such as Louis de Funès, Fernandel, Bourvil and Pierre Richard, French cinema abounds with comedy classics of the first rank.
The best French films of 2018
sb-img-27
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2018.
The very best period film dramas
sb-img-20
Is there any period of history that has not been vividly brought back to life by cinema? Historical movies offer the ultimate in escapism.
The greatest French film directors
sb-img-29
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.
The best of Indian cinema
sb-img-22
Forget Bollywood, the best of India's cinema is to be found elsewhere, most notably in the extraordinary work of Satyajit Ray.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright