IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

Attention, Francophiles and film comedy nerds!

Film Movement Classics will release the 4K restoration of Gérard Oury’s 1973 comedy The Mad Adventures of ‘Rabbi’ Jacob on Blu-ray on September 10th!  Personally, I’m overjoyed that another film by French comedian Louis de Funès will be getting a U.S. Blu-ray release, since his work is virtually unknown outside of Europe.

I discovered de Funès a couple of years ago, and I’ve loved the titles I’ve seen thus far, as you can see from my prior reviews of the Fantomas trilogy (1964-1967) and Oscar (1967).  This upcoming Blu-ray will be a “day one” purchase for me.

Here’s the description of the disc from the Amazon listing:

The Mad Adventures of 'Rabbi' Jacob [Blu-ray / Film Movement]

Product Description

**GORGEOUS 4K RESTORATION RELEASED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON BLU RAY IN NORTH AMERICA**

**NOMINATED FOR BEST FOREIGN FILM AT THE 1978 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS**

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 assassins 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.

Bonus features include interview with co-screenwriter Danièle Thompson and a new essay written by author Phoebe Maltz Bovy.

Review

A slapstick masterpiece. One of the all-time funniest flicks. –Phil Hall, Film Threat

A slapstick farce co-written by Oury’s daughter Danièle Thompson, it manages to quite literally candy-coat its bigoted hero, in one of the funniest scenes in one of the funniest movies to turn up this year. –Michael Walsh, Province

Supporting the star who works tirelessly – and mostly with success – for laughs, are a number of fine sight gags and some very good supporting actors, including Suzy Delair, who plays Mr. De Funes’s wife, a bossy woman with a passion for dentistry. –Vincent Canby, The New York Times