Film Review
This pleasing lightweight comedy features a giant of French comedy, Bourvil. His
gentle personality and natural humility is perfect for the part of the parishioner who
really believes the Good Lord wants him to help himself to the church collection.
He is joined by Jean Poiret and Francis Blanche who also turn in some fine comic performances.
The film's morality is more than a little questionable, as it gives a pretty comprehensive
(and apparently foolproof) lesson on how to steal from the church collection box.
It is, for all that, a delightful film to watch, and most of its charm derives from the
fact that the perpetrators of the crime in the film pursue their activities with such
sublime innocence, with a morality of their own which makes their police pursuers appear
to be the villains of the piece. This switching of the moral perspective is an idea
that has been pursued in earlier French detective thrillers such as Melville's
Le
Doulos, but here it is given a unique and very entertaining comic slant.
© James Travers 2000
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Next Jean-Pierre Mocky film:
La Grande frousse (1964)
Film Synopsis
It is a proud boast that the Lachesnayes have never had to work for their
living, and even though times are hard now, it is a tradition that the present
generation have no intention of giving up. With his family about to
be evicted from their present abode, Georges Lachesnaye drops in on the local
church and begs a favour from his patron saint. Saint George appears
to be listening, because a moment later his unfortunate namesake has a sudden
brainwave. The sound of a coins being dropped into a collection box
suddenly gives Georges an idea. From now on, he and his family will
subsist on the money they find in church collection boxes. Naturally,
they won't take all the money they find, just half of it - the other half
should be more than adequate to meet the needs of the sick and poor.
The plan works for a while, but it isn't long before the regular raids on
the collection boxes are noticed and the police are called in to investigate.
Before he know it, Georges finds he is being doggedly pursued by Chief-Inspector
Cucherat, who is evidently unimpressed by his money-making scheme.
Even when he takes the precaution of using a look-out, Georges finds he is
at risk of being caught red-handed. In the end, he has no choice but
to make a hasty retreat from the area with his family. His one last
act before he goes is to return to the first church he raided and put some
money in a collection box. Unfortunately, the police are waiting for
him...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.