Le curé de Saint-Amour

Emile Couzinet was the owner of several movie theaters in the south west of France(Bordeaux) ..He had an idea which was (and to this day has remained) unique:he made his own movies which were shown in his theaters .He did not give a damn about what Parisian critics thought.The only man of the French cinema who was a writer,a director,a producer ,a film distributor, a cinema owner and manager;he had his own studios and ,like Ed Wood in America ,he often used the same actors ,particularly Jean Tissier and Jeanne Fusier-Gir .

Fusier-Gir is one of the principals in "Le Curé De Saint-Amour" (= the parish priest from Saint-Amour").If you're going to appreciate this comedy,don't take it literally : Couzinet's movies are often thought as the nadir of the whole French cinema ,a guilty pleasure for the best (so to speak) of them.

A marchioness wants to marry her niece with a baron;but on the very day of her wedding,the bride escapes with her true love,a commoner.The parish priest helps them ,provided that they sleep apart of course ;but the noble lady learns the truth and ,as she does not want to give her consent,they pretend they have a child ;all people around want to help them,and finally they are given three babies to play the part of the would be fruit of their sin .Even the bishop,who is the marchioness's cousin come to the rescue.

And the best is yet to come: as in other Couzinet's "works " Fusier-Gir" plays an old maid who finds love (here with a cop).Fusier-Gir used to play Racine' s "Les Plaideurs" on stage too,mind you.