Really Surprised!

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

For the fine mix of humor, costumes and performances. and for the seductive manner to give to musketeer era a special charm. a film about power and sins and remembering the flavor of popular tales. the key of succes - the admirable meet between de Funes and Montand. love and trahison and revenge plans and a smart end . an easy comedy, off course. but a remarkable one. for its force of dialogues and gags and the sweet chain of adventures who, not being a moral lesson , represents a subtle pledge for the beauty of French classic comedy.

This movie happens during the XVII century in Spain. As I have never been much attracted by Spanish culture, I wasn't very motivated to see this movie.But as a big fan of Mr. De Funes, it's also hard to take it away. De Funes is simply the best comic actor and I don't know another one to be at the same level (Mr. Bean maybe?): he is talented in depicting little, miserly, hypocritical boss and we will never sufficiently underline his mastery in rhythm and music. He has thus a lot of class.Here, his partner is another french cinema "monster", Yves Montand. With his consciousness and political commitment, he is unfortunately too big to be a lackey but is imposing and brave as an aristocrat.So, we got here a strange mix, when the bad guy (De Funes) is cool while the good guy (Montand) is irritating! But, music mellows everything and here, Polnareff's love theme is a very touching one. With a lot of colors coming from live locations and wardrobe, the movie is enjoyable but not a recommendation for De Funes fans!

Another one of those 4 euro VHS specials from the dusty bin, but one I was looking forward to seeing. I thought it was pleasantly passable and will watch it again. Highlights: Defunes is funny as always, squeaking and quacking like a broken duck call. To quote from one of the earlier films "Il m'epate!" he's astonishing in being able to deliver so much physical comedy. Bouncing around like a beach ball, puffed up like a banty rooster, barely able to keep his giant ego intact while being chased by peasants with pitchforks or trying to escape a bedroom peccadillo. And I love his mugging - especially the greedy glitter in his squinty eyes.Yves Montand is surprisingly funny. The final scene where he and Defunes are stuck on the windlass as human donkeys in some nameless North African desert is hilarious. But all in all I think Bourvil did this kind of role better. Montand is suave and dumb, while Bourvil is dumb yet impossibly suave, and has a touch of human kindness. I do like Montand as Papet in the Florette films, and even more so with a cigarette hanging from his lips in Wages of Fear. I like him here, too, but he does suave and sinister best.All in all, entertaining. But I'll watch the Corniaud several times before I watch this again.

Writing yet another screenplay for her father, Gerard Oury, Daniele Thompson went to Victor Hugo's Ruy Blas, used it for a door-stop and fashioned a glorious romp out of it (incidentally her own third film as writer-director, Fauteuils d'orchestre, opens in Paris next month and I for one can hardly wait). There's one sad note surrounding the production; the great comedian Bourvil had signed to play opposite Louis de Funes but shortly after completing a straight role (as Andre Bourvil) in Le Cercle Rouge he died and was replaced by his co-star in Cercle, Yves Montand, switching from drama to slapstick comedy without missing a beat. This movie has all the elements of that Dreadful word we mustn't mention in the groves of Academe or among that small, rapidly dwindling band of Godard buffs, Entertainment. Only see it if you want a good time and a laugh a minute.