La folie des grandeurs

Quite a good movie done by Gerard Oury (who would direct De Funès later in "Rabbi Jacob"). The greedy and wicked Don Salluste (De Funes) gets dishonored by the Queen and King of Spain. By some inadvertance, Sallustre's valet Blaze, in love with the Queen is used by his master by passing as a noble man, only to get revenge and get his position back. However, it backfires somewhat, as the witty Blaze (as Don Cesar) also makes enemies from taxpayers, though at the beginning of the movie, he acts as a Robin Hood. And accidentally woos the Queen's matron instead.

A must see, especially when at a time poor people are exploited by the rich, and the rich makes everything not to pay a single penny of taxes to the Royals.

Louis de Funes and Yves Montand make a good duo here !

I've seen many comedies with Luis De Funes and have been his fan as long as I can remember. His participation in a movie promises good time, plenty of physical comedy, funny mess of grandiose proportions and up roaring laughs. He was "The man with the forty faces per minute", the little volcano or small but powerful dynamo machine whose energy could supply electricity to a town of the average size , whose hilarious hyperactivity, perfect for a comic ever-changing face, and the ego of gigantic size in such miniature frame always produced a highly comic effect. All his trademarks are in full display in the updated version of the tragedy by Victor Hugo Ruy Blas, La folie des grandeurs (1971) or Delusions of Grandeur. Ruy Blas has been adapted to the screen several times including 1948 film with Jean Mairet and 2002 version with Gerard Depardieu. Oury's film formally follows the Hugo's story but with De Funes in the cast, you would not expect it to be a serious political drama, and you will be absolutely right. The film takes place in 17th century Spain and centers around a practical joke played on the queen of Spain by Don Salluste de Bazan, the rich, greedy and backstabbing tax collector for revenge. Don Salluste disguises his servant Blaze (Ives Montand) as a nobleman and takes him to the king's court. Attractive, funny, and suave, Blaze saves the king from the bomb, becomes popular, is appointed a tax collector instead of Salluste, and conquers the queen's heart. Don Salluste returns to take his revenge by notifying the king with the anonymous letter about queen's infidelity. The final act that brings together Salluste, Blaze, Salluste's nephew Don Cesar de Bazan whom his loving uncle sold as a slave to the Sahara barbarians, the furious jealous king, the queen who is in love with Blaze and her Cerberus like dueña, old virgin Donna Juana (very funny Alice Sapritch) who is also passionately in love with Blaze is non-stopping laugh that left me in stitches. La folie des grandeurs, directed by Gérard Oury, adapted by Oury's daughter Danièle Thomson, and starring Louis de Funès (Don Salluste) and Yves Montand (Blaze) is based on the serious drama but it is so deliciously silly, dizzyingly fast, absurd, and hilarious that you would laugh even when you know how silly it is. Ives Montand replaced Bourvil who was initially meant to play Blaze, and who had a great chemistry with De Funes on the screen nicely balancing latter's super activity and aggressiveness with his gentle naiveté and kindness. But as Bourvil died in 1970, Yves Montand ultimately got the role and proved to be quite good in a comedy even though the viewers were used to see him playing the cool and cynic characters in the thrillers and dramas.

As always with De Funes, he practically owns the movie. While watching " La folie des grandeurs" for the first time last night I could not help laughing hard and loud even knowing how silly and over the top the movie was but laughing even more because of it. This morning, I began laughing again just recalling De Funes' face and him losing his voice and making some impossible quacking and squeaking noises when caught by surprise in the most hilarious scene of the film. "La folie des grandeurs hold the record as the most successful French film of 1971, the fact that does not surprise me at all.

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.

You don't need to be a Francophone to enjoy this one...but it helps. The film, which has stood the test of time, remains one of the best satirical comedies about power and the idiots who crave it. If you pay close attention to the dialogue (or subtitles), you'll discover dozens of witty lines that are still pertinent today. The film is set in 16th century Spain, but it could have been set in any contemporary society. Do you want to make fun of government? Watch this!

This movie is a delightful parody of Victor Hugo's masterpiece 'Ruy Blas'. Alice Sapritch (the duegna to the Queen) is, as usual, magnificent. Louis de Funes and Yves Montand make a hilarious and exhilarating pair. Highly recommended.