En pleine forme

This 14-minute French comedy short was originally released as part of Pierre Étaix's third feature film AS LONG AS YOU'RE HEALTHY in 1966; subsequently, he went back to his original conception of the film, divided it into distinct episodes, added his earlier unreleased short INSOMNIA, removed this one and re-edited it as a compendium for reissue in 1971. Almost 40 years later, this discarded episode was released as a standalone short as part of the restored DVD Box Set entitled "The Complete Pierre Étaix".

While the theme of satirizing the camping craze is not a new theme in itself – having seen service in British comedy 20 years before in HOLIDAY CAMP and would soon do so once more 3 years later in CARRY ON CAMPING, this French variant is pleasant enough if a slight step down from the star's earlier vehicles. The most memorable gags in this short are the extended initial sequence where Étaix meticulously prepares himself a 'spit' of coffee and the sheer fact that, when he reaches the seemingly idyllic camping site eventually, he sees it is being run in a concentration camp fashion: in fact, at the very end, the protagonist has to tunnel his own way out of it!