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Les Grands ducs
1996 Comedy / Drama
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Credits
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Director: Patrice Leconte
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Script: Serge Frydman, Patrice Leconte
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Photo: Eduardo Serra
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Music: Angélique Nachon, Jean-Claude Nachon
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Cast: Jean-Pierre Marielle (Georges
Cox),
Philippe Noiret (Victor Vialat),
Jean Rochefort (Eddie Carpentier),
Catherine Jacob (Carla Milo),
Michel Blanc (Shapiron),
Clotilde Courau (Juliette),
Pierre-Arnaud Juin (Pat),
Jacques Mathou (Janvier),
Marie Pillet (Clémence),
Jacques Nolot (Francis Marceau)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 85 min
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Aka: The Grand Dukes
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Summary
Victor and Eddie are two ageing actors who seem destined to spend the rest of their careers
dashing from theatre to theatre to play bit parts. When they learn that a touring
theatre company is about to start rehearsals for a production of the farce "Scoubidou",
they decide it is time for a comeback. They persuade the play’s producer, Shapiron,
to hire them, at a reduced rate, and then coerce their temperamental friend Georges Cox
into joining them. Realising that the show is likely to be a disaster, Shapiron
asks his leading lady, Carla Milo, to pull out of the venture so he can collect on the
insurance. When she refuses, the increasingly irrational Shapiron resorts to ever
desperate measures to sabotage the production...
Review
Despite the ebullient performances from its three male leads (it is always a pleasure
to see Philippe Noiret hamming it up for all he’s worth), Les Grands ducs is a
muddled, excessive and far from satisfying work. With its hurried pace, ram-shackle
plot and over-the-top silliness, it sits ill alongside Patrice Leconte’s previous directorial
achievements - although, if viewed in the right frame of mind, it can be mildly entertaining.
With a bit more care and attention, Les Grands ducs could have been a much better
film, offering a wry look at the life of theatrical folk. As it is, the film appears
to have been conceived as a cheap farce, intended more for the pleasure of its lead actors
than for its audience.
© James Travers 2004
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