Le Jardinier d'Argenteuil
| 1965 Comedy / Drama |  |
Credits Director:
Jean-Paul
Le Chanois
Script: Alphonse Boudard Music: Serge Gainsbourg Cast: Jean Gabin (Martin, le père Tulipe), Alfred Adam, Jean Tissier, Serge Gainsbourg, Curd Jürgens (Baron), Mary Marquet (Dora), Liselotte Pulver, Noël Roquevert Runtime: 85 min Aka: The Gardener of Argenteuil Summary Monsieur Martin, known as Tulipe, is an old
man who
lives alone in an old railway carriage in the Argentueil region of
Paris.
His main passions are gardening and oil painting, but he also has a
secret
source of income. His godson discovers that Tulipe is actually a
master forger, producing perfect copies of 10 franc notes. His
godson’s
girlfriend sees this as an opportunity to get very rich – but she must
persuade Tulipe to forge 500 franc notes. Assuming Tulipe’s
agreement,
his godson and his girlfriend buy an expensive new car and luxury villa
in provincial France - but there is a cruel turn of fate in store for
them
when Tulipe strikes up a friendship with a millionaire playboy…
Review This is a gentle comedy which mocks the wealth
and pleasure-seeking
obsession of contemporary youth and shows that, for some, fulfilment
lies
elsewhere.
Jean Gabin is perfectly cast as the solitary but contented père Tulipe. Whilst not his most memorable rôle, Gabin, now in his sixties, manages to create a sympathetic and believable character. Regrettably,
the plot is a little too anodyne and predictable, but there are some
enjoyable
comic moments and the film has a satisfying - but not suprising -
ending. © James Travers 1999 |
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