IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

Based largely on the success of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), the all-star, epic comedy became a popular genre for a brief period in the 1960s.  This trend birthed several bloated, 2 hour-plus “race” or “chase” comedies including Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), The Great Race (1965), The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966), and, of course, La Grande Vadrouille (1966).

What?  You’ve never heard of La Grande Vadrouille?  Well, I guess that’s not surprising.  While La Grande Vadrouille (which translates as The Great Promenade) stood as the biggest earner in French box office history for 42 years, it received a paltry “blink and you’ll miss it” U.S. release in 1969 under the uninspiring title of Don’t Look Now… We’re Being Shot At!  By the time of that belated U.S. release, American audiences had moved on to counter-culture or boundary-pushing cinema, and La Grande Vadrouille was completely ignored and ultimately forgotten.  Still, in France and many parts of Europe, La Grande Vadrouille is a beloved comedy classic, still cherished by audiences who tuned in for traditional holiday TV broadcasts.

As a fan and apologist of the bombastic, supersized comedies of the Sixties, I became highly interested in seeing La Grande Vadrouille (once I became aware of its existence), but finding a way to watch it was not easy.  The film never received a DVD or Blu-ray release in the U.S., and English-subtitled versions of the film were often edited to run under two hours.  Thankfully, a 4K restoration was commissioned to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary, which was followed by a Studio Canal Blu-ray release throughout the world (except sadly in the U.S.).  With the help of a region-free Blu-ray player, I have finally seen, and greatly enjoyed the full, unabridged version of this French classic.

During World War II, a RAF bomber plane is shot down over German-occupied Paris.  The pilot (epic comedy regular Terry Thomas) and his crew parachute to safety, but they are separated in the decent.  The soldiers are forced to rely on the help of French civilians to hide them out until they can rendezvous at the Turkish baths.  One of the British soldiers drops in (literally) on Augustin Bouvet (André Bourvil, billed simply as “Bourvil”), an easygoing, house painter; while another finds help from Stanislas Lefort (Louis de Funès), the temperamental conductor of the Paris Opera.  The lower class painter and the snobby conductor form a tenuous friendship as they are forced to work together to save the soldiers and their own skins.

It’s easy to see why La Grande Vadrouille was so popular in France.  Unlike the cheaply made, studio-bound French comedies of the time, La Grande Vadrouille was a big budget affair that made beautiful use of Paris locations, as well as the French countryside.  The film also depicted a more rosy view of the years of the German occupation, whitewashing any stench of collaboration with the enemy.  In the fairy tale France of La Grande Vadrouille, every French man and woman is eager to help the Allies avoid capture.  It is as if the entire nation was a part of the French Resistance.  This harmless bit of propaganda had to be a much needed boost for national pride.

However, the main reason La Grande Vadrouille was such a hit with French audiences was the wonderful interplay between comedians Bourvil and Louis de Funès.  It was a perfect Mutt and Jeff pairing of mismatched characters — one tall/the other short, one mild tempered/the other hyper-excitable, one a lower class laborer/the other a snobby authority figure.  Audiences loved watching class conflicts play out on a small scale between the two characters, and were comforted that a friendship blossoms between them, despite their differences of status.

In truth, the two leads were even mismatched in terms of the conditions of their careers.  Bourvil was well-known, popular, and beloved.  Whereas Louis de Funès was a star on the rise, who would soon surpass the more established comedian in popularity.  De Funes really shines in La Grande Vadrouille.  While Bourvil and Terry Thomas (in a rare non-cad role) are nothing short of excellent, De Funes really steals the spotlight with his jumpy, raw nerve performance.

It is a shame that it is so difficult for American audiences to see La Grande Vadrouille, because it is a top flight entertainment that ranks highly amongst epic comedies of its day.  Hopefully, a Region A Blu-ray (or at least a streaming option) will be made available in the U.S. at some time in the future.  In the meantime, if you get an opportunity to see the film (especially the new 4K restoration), don’t let it pass you by.

France/C-124m./Dir: Gérard Oury/Wr: Gérard Oury, Danièle Thompson, Marcel Jullian, Georges Tabet, and André Tabet/Cast: Bourvil, Louis de Funès, Terry Thomas, Claudio Brook, Andréa Parisy, Colette Brosset, Mike Marshall, Marie Dubois, Mary Marquet, Pierre Bertin, Benno Sterzenbach

For Fans of: If you like epic comedies of the 1960s, such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), The Great Race (1965), and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966), La Grande Vadrouille (1966) will likely appeal to you as well, despite the subtitles.

Video: Studio Canal has released La Grande Vadrouille (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] in the United Kingdom from a 4K restoration. Unfortunately, the disc is Region B locked, so it won’t play in standard Blu-ray players in the United States.  Hopefully, a Region A release is in the works (are you listening Kino Lorber?).

If you do own a region-free player, the disc looks and sounds fantastic.  It is sharp, colorful, free of scratches and debris.  The audio is clear and the subtitles are thorough and accurate.  Surprisingly for a film that is so popular worldwide, there are no special features on the disc.  I would have liked to have seen an audio commentary or documentary provided with the film to provide some context for audiences unfamiliar with the actors and the French film industry.  Still, it’s hard to complain when the presentation of the film itself is so good.

Streaming: La Grande Vadrouille streamed briefly on the late, lamented FilmStruck.  Unfortunately, at the time of this review, it was not available to stream or download through any of the major services.

More to Explore: If you are charmed by Louis de Funès’ raw nerve comedic performance in La Grande Vadrouille (1966) a few — although too few — of his films have received subtitled releases that will play on U.S. Blu-ray players.  Some of the best are Oscar (1967), Le Grand Restaurant (1966), Hibernatus (1969), Delusions of Grandeur (1971), and The Mad Adventures of 'Rabbi' Jacob (1973).

Trivia: The memorable piggyback scene that is pictured on the cover of the 50th Anniversary Blu-ray wasn’t in the script.  It was completely improvised by Louis de Funès and Bourvil while on location.

For more info: If you want to know more about La Grande Vadrouille, its cast and crew, or the French film industry as a whole, consult the excellent reference website filmsdefrance.com.