Film Review
Coluche had already become a national treasure by the time he came to write, direct and
star in this film, a madcap historical romp with some similarities with some of the British
“Carry On” films of the late 1960s. Coluche's brand of anarchic
comedy was fresh and inventive for its time and features heavily in this film, the perfect
vehicle for this comedian's boundless wit and larger-than-life persona.
In this film, Coluche is joined by a very talented group of comic performers known
as “L'Équipe du Splendide”, which included Anémone, Gérard
Jugnot, Christian Clavier, Marie-Anne
Chazel and Thierry Lhermitte.
Like Coluche, these hugely talented comedians had made a name for themselves performing
comic stage acts in theatres and clubs, before making it big in cinema, with such films
as
Les
Bronzés and
Le Père Noël est une ordure.
In
Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine,
they give great entertainment value, particularly the feisty Anémone, although
most of the troupe make only a fleeting appearance.
Whilst Coluche and L'Équipe
du Splendide are excellent in this film, its real star is the previously unknown Gérard
Lanvin, who plays the Chevalier Blanc (i.e. White Knight), a brilliant caricature of the
historical adventure hero. When the Chevalier Blanc is not demolishing the set in
his attempt to save the day, he is driving all around him insane by singing his introductory
number again, and again, with increasing fervour. If the character is an inspiration
on paper, it is Lanvin's gloriously unrestrained performance that makes it a classic
camp icon of French cinema. Remarkably, this was Gérard Lanvin first film
appearance, and is quite unlike anything he has done subsequently (alas).
Plotwise,
the film leaves a lot to be desired. Whilst the film consists of countless pleasing
little moments, it doesn't really make a satisfying cohesive whole. It's
a struggle to make sense of the plot and Coluche may have done better to have worked on
the script with a more experienced screenwriter. That said, the film's
raison
d'être is not to win awards for narrative coherence but to entertain,
and it manages to do this without any difficulty. The comic magician Coluche turns
out a constant stream of funny situations and visual jokes - some of which are genuinely
hilarious, raising a laugh no matter how many times you have seen the film. Add
to that some exquisite comic performances and the recurring "Chevalier Blanc" number (music
by Serge Gainsbourg, sung by Gérard Lanvin), and the result is an uplifting, albeit
totally insane, mix of musical comedy and historical adventure - a must-see film
for any fan of the great Coluche.
© James Travers 2004
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Long, long ago, France is ruled by King Gros Pif I, a man who likes to party.
In fact so extravagant are the king's banquets that they are bankrupting
the country and his faithful musketeers have to resort to ever more brutal
methods to extract taxes from the stinking masses, which is okay because
they rather enjoy it. As the king stuffs himself silly with meat and
wine, his queen occupies the court jester in a similar but altogether more
disgusting function, proving that life in the Middle Ages was nowhere near
as dull and dreary as it is given out to be by all those dull and dreary
historians. For the royalty at least, it was a hoot.
When the lusty jester isn't busy servicing his queen's carnal appetites,
he is up to no good, conspiring with the king's ministers - a hopelessly
indecisive bunch of timeservers - to bring an end to this horribly
debauched and cruel regime. Eventually, the ministers summon up enough
courage to act and set about trying to assassinate the loathed monarch.
But every time they come within a whisker of slaying the king, he is miraculously
saved by the mysterious Chevalier Blanc, whose one ambition is to wed the
king's beautiful cousin Lucienne, whom he lusts after day and night.
Armed with his trusty sword, a scintillating personality and an unwavering
habit of breaking into song at the least provocation, the brave and implausibly
heterosexual knight thwarts the king's enemies time and again. Finally
driven from his castle, the king goes on the run, not knowing that his treacherous
queen has offered a generous reward for his capture. The Chevalier
Blanc comes to his aid again, by adopting him as his personal valet.
Gros Pif's only hope now is to persuade the King of Flanders to invade the
whole of France (including Alsace and Lorraine) so that he can redeem himself
by raising a rebel army...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.