Film Review
The age of flower power had come and gone by the time director Georges Lautner
came to offer his own tongue-in-cheek tribute to the hippy movement.
Admittedly this is largely just a plot device, half-heartedly stapled onto
the kind of thriller parody which the director specialised in around this
time, but there is some effective satire on show - not just in the scurrilous
send-up of hippy culture, but also in the parochial attitudes of French people
buried deep in the countryside. The gags are pretty predictable but
make for some good-natured entertainment. Based on the novel
La
Nuit des grands chiens malades by A.D.G., the film was co-authored by
Jean-Marie Poiré, who would later helm some of France's most enduing
film comedies, including
Papy
fait de la résistance (1983) and
Les Visiteurs (1993).
By this stage in his career, Lautner was ready to move on from the comedy-thriller
genre that had dominated his work up until this point. It was his shameless
parodies of French policiers that first brought him success in the 1960s
- films such as
Les Tontons
flingueurs (1963) and
Ne
nous fâchons pas (1966). But by the mid-1970s, the genre
was pretty well mined out and audiences were preferring their thrillers to
be of the more hard-boiled variety, with plenty of in-your-face violence
and machismo (of the Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo kind). Lautner
made the transition with some degree of success, turning out grittier crowdpleasers
like
Mort d'un pourri (1977)
and
Le Professional (1981),
but comedy was what he was best at, and this is how he came to direct the
disastrous
La Cage aux
folles 3 (1985) towards the end of his flagging career.
Quelques messieurs trop tranquilles, along with Lautner's next film,
La Valise (1973), feels like a last
gasp for a dying genre. Despite its impressive cast - replete with
Lautner regulars like Robert Dalban, Jean Lefebvre and (of course) Renée
Saint-Cyr, his mum - the film doesn't quite have the appeal of the director's
earlier comedies. Jean-Pierre Mocky would perhaps have been better
placed to direct the film, bringing to the piece some of the mischievous
dark humour of his 1992 comedy
Ville
à vendre. One of the few bright spots the film has to
offer is the delectable Miou-Miou, making an early appearance before she
was propelled to stardom by Bertrand Blier's anarchic comedy
Les Valseuses (1974).
© James Travers 2019
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Georges Lautner film:
Les Seins de glace (1974)
Film Synopsis
Situated in the Lot department of southwest France, Loubressac is an idyllic
spot to live. You'd think this would be a haven for those seeking the
peace and quiet of the countryside, but no. This picturesque little
village has been in decline for years and its inhabitants are prepared to
do anything to attract tourists to their community. One day, they get
more than they bargained for when a load of hippies turn up and start making
a nuisance of themselves. They take up residence on land belonging
to a countess, who resides in a nearby chateau and sees nothing wrong in
the unexpected invasion. But when a man is found dead - apparently
murdered - the villagers become anxious and are quick to blame the new arrivals.
Not everyone reckons that the hippies are guilty, however. Four of
the locals are convinced of their innocence and set out to prove this by
uncovering the real culprit...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.