Le Bon roi Dagobert
1963 History / Comedy / Fantasy
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Summary
Schoolboy Robert’s punishment for not paying attention in class is to write a 100 line
essay on Dagobert, the celebrated medieval King of France. Allowing his imagination
to run wild, Robert sees his father as a benign Dagobert, a king whose main preoccupations
are collecting wives and securing his place in history. Dagobert’s plans to crown
his son at Reims are threatened by his scheming rival, Charibert, who has regal ambitions
of his own…
Review
Although nearing the end of his remarkable film career, comic actor Fernandel still had
what it took to enliven a lacklustre comedy and draw a large cinema audience. Le
Bon roi Dagobert is a schoolboy’s comic book reinterpretation of history, in much
the same vein as the earlier Fernandel offering
François Premier (1937). Shot
in Rome, the film has some impressive production values, but it should have been made
in colour and its cast – which includes some very talented actors – deserve a far better
script. Popular Italian actor Gino Cervi stars along side Fernandel – the two had
previously worked together on the
Don Camillo series of films over the past
decade. Although popular in its day, the film now feels flat and dated, although
there are a few moments of great comedy - notably Pascale Roberts' easy seduction of Fernandel,
Jacques Dufilho in drag and Darry Cowl's hilarious turn as a punctillious executioner.
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