The Gendarme of Champignol (1959)

movie

(35)

Country: N/A
Genres: Comedy
Release: 1959-05-27
Director: Jean Bastia
Writers: Roger Pierre
Language: French
Stars: Jean Richard , Roger Pierre , Alexandre Dréan , Véronique Zuber , Nadine Basile , Jack Ary , Mag-Avril , Florence Blot , Charles Bouillaud , Edmond Chemi
Runtime: 90 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: Le gendarme de Champignol (France, French Republic) , Le gendarme de Champignol , The Gendarme of Champignol , Csak vidáman! (Hungary)
Plot: The first of the two sequels of "Nous Autres A Champignol",it repeats all the flaws of its mother-egg;it's really cheesy cinema,without really talented thespians such as Fernandel ,Bourvil or De Funès.Jean Richard is no match for them.Richard takes on his part of Claudius ,but he is a bachelor again,and this time becomes a gendarme ;other actors who were featured in the first installment come back here but in different parts:Noel Roquevert ,as the captain,who steals the show from the star each time he appears ,and Roger Pierre as "the -bandit-from -the hills".Like in the first movie,too,the best scenes are to be found in the first quarter:the arrival in the village where the gendarmes are reluctantly transferred is a place where the cops are not the welcome:the Streets are bare,with the exception of a hearse,the inhabitants slams their door and their window in their face ,even the water from the fountain stops flowing,and the bells toll.The storekeepers do not want to sell them food,and when they agree,they get vinegar instead of the so-called vintage wine.Unfortunately,the rest of the movie does not follow suit:it is a mean patchy screenplay,made of desultory sketches ,often repetitive ,short on really funny gags .This movie is probably responsible for the "Gendarme saga" ,starring Louis De Funès ,which was to become one of the most popular continuing story of the following decades.
IMDB:tt0157691