 |  | A Question for Other Reviewers |  |
I would like to buy a DVD of a French comedy I saw in theaters many years ago, but I can't remember if it's "La Chevre" or "Les Comperes," or even something else. I remember there was a scene in which the bumbling star stole a banana and was then carted off to prison because the police suspected him of murder. The misunderstanding was what made it so funny, with the star, whom I think was Pierre Richard, exclaiming on how strict the laws were in this strange town for petty theft. Can anyone here help? If it was La Chevre, then La Chevre is one of the best films I've ever seen. I apologize that this isn't a full review.
July 14, 2007Remade less successfully as Pure Luck, the first of Pierre Richard and Gerard Depardieu's three teamings for writer-director Francis Veber, La Chevre is still the best of the bunch. Richard's the idiot accountant assigned to find a missing girl in South America simply because he's every bit as accident-prone as she is, while Depardieu's the worldly private eye who has to pretend to be working for him while really running the case and trying to keep him out of trouble. You can pretty much fill in the gaps from there, but that doesn't make it any less funny. Richard's pratfalls work not just because they're unsensationally directed rather than heavily telegraphed (one even takes place out of focus in the background) but because, like Clouseau, Richard's character doesn't know he's a clumsy idiot. In fact, he thinks he's the epitome of cool and control. But it's Depardieu who really makes the film, his underplayed exasperation and beautiful reaction shots easily the funniest thing in the film, especially as he realises with increasing fatalism that Richard's bad luck is starting to rub off.
Kino's DVD transfer suffers from being a standards conversion from PAL, which is acceptable but has some blurring not present on the Australian DVD (where the film is also available on a triple-disc set with Les Comperes and Les Fugitifs).
September 10, 2006It is a good movie, not a great one, but it still follows an original line. A CEO sends an employee -Pierre Richard -, to find his kidnapped daughter in Mexico. He has been advised to choose him because the employee has such a bad luck, as his daughter has, that he is forcefully going to fall in the same traps and, sooner or later, in the same place than her beloved child. Gerard Depardieu does not believe in such argument and has to make a team with the bad-luck guy. Together, they will made a great team. Hillarious, entertaining and fun !.
December 5, 2005According to the film's IMDb entry, which has been updated and now appears to be accurate, the original aspect ratio (OAR) is 1.66:1 (5:3).
Kino's DVD is specified as having a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, which makes no sense.
An anamorphic transfer of a 1.66:1 film, when viewed on a 16:9 (1.77:1) widescreen TV, should be full height, and have narrow side-bars.
Can anyone comment on how the Kino DVD renders this film on a 16:9 TV?
November 28, 2005 | | Fun and Action French Style | |
Two incomperable French comedians join in an amusing and action-packed farce to make you feel how lucky it is to be unlucky. If you like light-hearted French comedy encased in an improbable but amusing plot then this movie is for you.
September 29, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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