The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973)
In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assasins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.
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I accidentally re-viewed this movie and to my surprise, it's humor worked out as a wonderful antidote to the recent painful terror we had to witness in Paris. Here too bandits with Middle East connections try to turn the French capital and its surroundings (near Oisors and Chaumont) in an unsafe place. More ironically, the film kicks off in New York, providing 7 shots of the Twin Towers. Contemporary discrimination, cultural prejudices and even corruption are ridiculed well. Main actor Louis de Funès is - even then at 58 years of age - a genuine example of an ADHD disorder. Appealing scenes with the 'almost car of the 20th century' Citroën DS helped well to get an authentic perception of France in the seventies.
I've just watched this again as the DVD is now available in France, I had no idea it had been subtitled in English as the version I've seen just has the original French - if you can watch it without subtitles to appreciate the original French humour it's worth it. I think one of the funniest scenes is when the loud over-the-top older Jewish lady meets LDF in his disguise as Rabbi Jacob at the airport & they talk about different types of fur coats in crazy accents & with the maddest wordplay ever I can't imagine how this was translated into English (especially as I'm a translator myself!). The film is totally ridiculous and combines wit with lots of visual humour, wordplay, the whole lot. As for the dance my 8 year old daughter does an excellent version of it! Louis de Funès - RIP. The world is definitely darker without him. I'm British and to my knowledge this film, and none of LDF's films are known in Britain which is a great pity, if anyone knows otherwise please put me right!
This is one of the funniest, bust-a-gut laughing, most hysterical films ever made. It came out in France in 1973, and did so well that it was put into release (with subtitles) in the US, where it more than held its own. This is slapstick farce at its very best, triumphantly showcasing Luis De Funes, who was as big a comedy star in France as was Jerry Lewis. It is unfortunate that this is one of the only films of his that made it to America. The premise is the typical switched identities / coincidental mixups / innocent man being chased plots of the genre, but what makes this one sublime is the unbelievably rubber face and spot-on timing of De Funes, backed up by a good supporting cast, decent script and excellent direction. I first saw this in my teens when it originally came out, and my entire family all agreed that it was the funniest film we'd ever seen. I recently saw it again with my own children, and it has absolutely held up over thirty years. If you like comedy (particularly of the fish-out-of-water and/or slapstick variety) do your best to track this one down. It's worth it!PS: As a little treat, look closely at the actor who plays Rabbi Jacob. Look familiar? It was Marcel Dalio, who played the croupier in Casablanca!
This is one of the funniest films every made. Explores the differences among peoples. A very funny commentary on life. Has not been available on VHS with English subtitles until mid-2001. The acting is superb although the dialog somewhat slapstick.