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Le Retour du grand blond
1974 Comedy / Thriller
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Credits
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Director: Yves Robert
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Script: Yves Robert, Francis Veber
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Photo: René Mathelin
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Music: Vladimir Cosma
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Cast: Pierre Richard (François
Perrin),
Jean Carmet (Maurice Lefebvre),
Jean Rochefort (Colonel Louis,
Marie,
Alphonse Toulouse),
Mireille Darc (Christine),
Jean Bouise (Le ministre),
Paul Le Person (Perrache),
Colette Castel (Paulette Lefebvre),
Henri Guybet (Charmant,
un tueur),
Hervé Sand (Prince,
Un tueur) Michel Duchaussoy (Capitaine
Cambrai),
Xavier Gélin (Peintre à l'aéroport),
Iska Khan (Le Chinois),
Yves Robert (Le chef d'orchestre)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 84 min
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Aka: The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe
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Summary
Cambrai, a modest captain in the French secret service, discovers that his superior, Colonel
Toulouse, was responsible for the death of his rival Milan. To cover his tracks,
Toulouse immediately sends two hit-men to Rio de Janeiro to eliminate François
Perrin, the innocent “grand blond” who was instrumental in Toulouse’s
scheme to remove Milan. When Perrin miraculously survives, Toulouse changes his
strategy. He takes Perrin into his confidence and attempts to convert him into an
ace secret agent, thereby discrediting Cambrai and proving that he is innocent of Milan’s
death. When his beloved Christine is abducted by Toulouse’s agents, Perrin
has no other choice. Indeed, he seems to relish the prospect of becoming a real-life
James Bond…
Review
After the enormous success of
Le Grand blond avec une chaussure noire
(1972), director Yves Robert and screenwriter Francis Veber would have been mad not to
have made a sequel. Sure enough, two years later Pierre Richard – alias “le
grand blond” – returned to delight audiences in probably his best-loved role,
the bumbling, accident-prone musician François Perrin. Jean Rochefort also
makes a welcome return, as the suave, manipulative secret service supremo Toulouse, although
Bertrand Blier is noticeably missing (his character was killed off in the earlier film).
Blier's absence is just about made up for by the return of Jean Carmet and Mireille Darc
(and that amazing dress).
As in the first Grand blond episode, this
laugh-a-minute sequel is filled with hilarious comic situations and some truly brilliant
visual jokes, all of which play to Pierre Richard’s strength as a comic performer.
Whilst the plot isn’t on a par with that of the earlier film, the madcap comedy
is fresh and irresistibly funny, making this a very entertaining send-up of the whole
spy-thriller genre. Composer Vladimir Cosma deserves top marks for probably the
best appropriation of the James Bond theme ever.
© James Travers 2005
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