Louis de Funès

An inventor and a small-time industrialist, Guillaume (Louis De Funes) has come up with something which will take advantage of air pollution and manages to confuse a delegation of Japanese into placing an order for 3,000 of the things. Just a few obstacles stand in the way of his delivering on the order. For one thing, he has no factory in which to make them. He decides to dedicate all the extra space in his house to building them, though perhaps he should have told his wife (Annie Girardot) first, because she seems to have been made unhappy by these developments. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, Louis de Funes is a top restaurant critic, the head of an important French culinary guide. At the beginning of the film, he and his son (Coluche) are at odds, as the son prefers working as a circus clown to studying the fine arts of gastronomy. The two join forces, however, to thwart the greedy owner of a chain of inferior restaurants, who plans to take over the finest restaurants in France and substitute his formulaic fodder for real cooking. Another lure bringing the son into the picture is a lovely secretary working for the guide. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this characteristic French farce, Louis De Funes in the role of Antoine spoofs the 1959 American classic black comedy, Gazebo. In Jo, De Funes is being investigated by the police because his name was on a list kept by a missing blackmailer who is presumed to be dead. Antoine has good reason to know, as he was there when the fellow died; in the moment he almost managed to shoot the man, someone else kills him. He is stuck with the body, and he keeps having to move it while the police are watching him. Fortunately for him, they are somewhat inept. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This French historical comedy/farce, loosely based on Victor Hugo's play Ruy Blas, benefits greatly from having Louis De Funes and Yves Montand in the roles of Saluste and Blaze. Saluste is a nobleman who has been exiled from court and sent to collect taxes in the countryside. Blaze is his assistant, who manages to help the overtaxed peasants behind his boss's back. When Saluste decides to resume meddling in the monarch's affairs using Blaze as his henchman, his schemes backfire badly. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A retired policeman (Louis De Fumes) is happily married to a devoted wife (Claude Gensac) in this uneven comedy. He does not take to retirement well, and he and his fellow retirees don their uniforms once again in an effort to relive their glory days on the police force. One pretends to have lost his memory because he enjoys the atmosphere of the rest home. They go fishing, lose their clothes, dress like hippies and end up at a nude beach in this situation comedy. One decidedly unfunny scene has De Fumes beating up a maid. His silent fuming over situations beyond his control is a familiar reaction for one of France's most beloved comics. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A veteran police officer becomes the chief when he passes a test given to all the members of the police force. The power of authority soon goes to his head as he treats his former chief with all the pompous rancor of a once-sniveling underling exacting revenge on his old boss. The comedy continues when the new chief meets his match when he marries and finds his wife to be far more demanding that anyone he could ever imagine. Louis De Funes stars as the lowly cop who soon becomes drunk with power in this engaging comedy marked by human humiliation and positioning for job advancement. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This engaging comedy concerns the tattoo on the back of a military nobleman and the wily art dealer who covets the work of art. The Count (Jean Gabin) has a Modigliani tattoo, and when Mazeray (Louis De Funes) sees it, he wishes to add it to his art collection. The Count only wishes to retire to a life of good wine and fine food, but the maniacal Mazeray will stop at nothing to obtain the Modigliani, even if it means skinning the Count alive. Gabin and De Funes combine their legendary comedy stylings that have long endeared them to film fans far beyond their native France. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Bertrand (Louis De Funes) is a victim of blackmail when a man asks for his daughter's hand in marriage in this madcap comedy of errors. The suitor offers money he has embezzled in exchange for permission to wed the young woman. The trouble is that the woman is not really Bertrand's daughter but a woman who had only borrowed her name. Bertrand agrees to let Oscar the chauffeur marry the woman without revealing that she is not really his own daughter. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this British war comedy, set in WW II, a bomber crew is shot down over Paris during the Nazi occupation. They are helped out of the city by several good-hearted Frenchman. They make it to the steambath where they had an important rendezvous. They then begin the final part of their escape. A cross-eyed German inadvertently helps them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Septime (Louis De Funes) is the owner of a posh French restaurant in Paris who is afraid of his temperamental cooks but who takes his frustrations out on his other employees. When a visiting ambassador is kidnapped from the restaurant, Septime is accused of being an accomplice in the abduction. This sets the scene for some well-staged auto chases over snow-covered mountains. One car flips over but is able to make it down the mountain because skis are attached to the rooftop rack of the vehicle. De Funes adds his own flair of irascible, self-depreciating humor that is the highlight of this comedy spy adventure. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this French comedy, a clever fellow proves himself smarter than the gangsters who would exploit him. The trouble begins in Paris when the vacationing hero accidentally gets into an auto accident with a smuggler. The crook is most apologetic for the mishap and kindly offers to let him drive his Cadillac to Bordeaux and continue with his holiday. The poor traveler doesn't know that the vehicle is a black market on wheels carrying everything from jewels to heroine. He is pursued by the smuggler and by a rival gang. He is so busy enjoying himself that he doesn't bother to look back at the gun battles raging behind him. He ends up picking up two hitchhiking women and continuing his leisurely journey. When he finally realizes that they are using him, he drives the crooks right to the police station. Later he discovers that the steering wheel of the car contains the largest diamond in the world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide