Customer Reviews

The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I must say, I disagree completely with whoever it was who said that because of Louis de Funès' extraordinary performance in this movie that this is the only movie for which he is well known in the English-speaking world. He's indeed very funny in this movie, but this is not his best film. Why his other classics, such as La Grande Vadrouille, L'Aile Ou La Cuisse or others are not released with english subtitles is quite beyond me!
This movie gets 4.5 stars from me; it goes by quickly and it has many incredibly funny parts, but it doesn't quite seem to flow as smoothly as those other De Funès films that I've seen (while on my vacation to Russia, where they're shown all the time on tv). The ending, in particular, is chaotic and confusing.

The DVD, however gets 3/5 from me. The quality might be a BIT better than a VHS, and the picture is clean, but it's still not nearly as sharp as most DVDs out there. Also, there is no option to turn off the subtitles (which are pretty good, although not everything is translated and a few puns such as "Pivert" vs "pervert" took a while for me to sink in).

Frankly, they have no excuse for the lack of effort on the DVD. This DVD is currently pretty high on the Amazon.ca sales rankings. Louis de Funès' most popular movie, La Grande Vadrouille, is even higher (~136) and was chosen for "Le meilleur de l'année 2003" ("The best of year 2003"). So it REALLY baffles me why nobody is bothering to release any of this comedian's other movies for English speaking audiences, in GOOD DVDs; the market is certainly there. PLEASE, PLEASE release more Louis De Funès DVDs!

Anyway, those of you who're English-speaking and who've never seen a Louis De Funès film should buy this DVD without a second thought; you won't regret it, it's very entertaining, and not just if you're French!

A coworker recommended this movie to me, and I rented it. I am so glad I did. It is very very funny, and (except for a bit of gunplay) it is CLEAN! Well OK there is some mess with bubble gum, but that's not the kind of clean I mean. ;-) Definitely one of the better comedies I have seen over the last few years, and I may soon be adding this to my collection.

I would recommend, however, that you NOT pay full price for this DVD; rather, see if you can snag a used copy from an Amazon Marketplace seller. As others have pointed out, it is a rather barebones disc, and the poor grammar in the cast bios (putting PAST events in the PRESENT TENSE) along with the clunky navigation have caused me to reluctantly deduct a star from the rating. The picture quality is excellent, however.

The madcap slapstick adventure won't appeal to everyone, but there is much that is original and funny.

I must say, though, to those reviewers who have been whining about the DVD, that you're way off base. This is a 1973 film, remember, that has a lovely widescreen non-anamorphic DVD transfer with a rich, accurate color palette and excellent sharpness throughout. It is clearly NOT from a VHS original, and is one of the better looking 1970's DVD's you will see. Thirty years after the fact, with a film that will not sell a million copies, you cannot complain about the lack of special features. Thanks, Facets, for giving us a clear look at a forgotten classic!

'I have become an actor so I can bring a smile to the children and their parents in these sad times'..so said Louis de Funes, one of the greatest comedians ever, and who is still to this day, even with the huge boom in the DVD market and the increased interest in 'international' films, largely unknown outside France and the francophone countries, even after having 145 films to his name from 1945 to 1982, a year before his death.
Like Chaplin and Sellers,De Funes is one of the very rare breed of comedians who had a distinct talent and total dedication to his craft, and who knew how to make people laugh,not through the written script only but also through his interpretations and character. All three giants of comedy have had such a complex and interesting personalities, both on and off screen, that always added another dimension and depth to their acting.
To watch any De Funes film is to be totally captivated by a unique style that none of his contemporaries in French and world cinema were able to come near: The expressions on his face and his very French theatrical,dramatic and sometimes over the top body language is legendary, so is his ability to dominate every scene without overshadowing his co stars,something not very easily achieved!
The characters he played over the years, especially in his later films post 60s remind me somehow of Wayne Mitchell's Arthur in Brit 70s sitcom Till Death Do us Part: nasty, sexist,racist, and bitter..But like Mitchell, his is a lone voice that is portrayed in such a way as to make it one that belongs to a minority older generation not quite in tune with the changes the world has seen,and as such is never quite offensive or threatening but totally hilarious.
In Adventures of Rabbi Jacob, one of his most successful films (along with such classics like Le Corniaud, La Grande Vadrouille, La Zizanie, Oscar, L'Aile ou la Cuisse and others), he impersonates a rabbi, along with an Algerian fugitive, running away from assassins, and goes to New York and is mistaken for a very important rabbi.
In this film as in other De Funes movies, he is thrown in a adventure by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is forced to face his prejudices head on, in this case against both Jews and Arabs, and becomes a different man as a result.
It is a very funny film in the De Funes unique tradition, and although the script might be uneven at times, it is his performance that makes up for any flaws: a twitch of a nose, or some incomprehensible mumblings transforms the scene totally!
Louis De Funes is an actor that should at last get his dues in the US and UK and the wide recognition he deserves,(by releasing his most famous films on DVD and soon) for denying large number of viewers of his comedies is depriving cinema lovers of a true genuis with a great personality and undeniable class.

This is the incredible story of a French man Pivert (Louis de Funes) who discovers with awe that his driver Salomon is Jewish. For Pivert, anyone who's not "pure white" must be some type of alien. So Salomon is fired...
By unexpected and ridiculously funny circumstances, Pivert not only finds himself immersed in the Orthodox Jewish world, but he is dressed up as the Rabbi of the community in order to save his life!!
Priceless -especially the dance scene! - you will not regret this one!

Louis de Funes was one of the best French comedians. I saw this movie when I was in High School and it's still good and funny now. The quality of the DVD is excellent, clear and crisp. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to sample French comedy.

More than 30 years later, it is still a great movie to watch again and again. An anti-Semite - Louis de Funes - has to pretend to be a New York rabbi to escape from its by-chance criminal persecutors, he is warmly received by a community in Les Marais waiting for him, there he learns to behave as a rabbi and love Jews, then a happy end where he gets the criminals persecuting him in jail and his daughter falling in love with an new arab president. The argument is pretty simple, but the dialogues and situations an enless, unlimited source of entertainment and fun. Do not miss it !.

I first saw this film when it first came out. At that time I thought it was one of the funniest films I'd ever seen. Now, thirty years or so later, It still remains fresh in my memory. Louis de Funes, who has been described as the French Leon Errol, is great as the "hero" of the film and he is surrounded by a excellent cast of characters. I recommend this picture to anyone who likes to laugh.

I loved this movie when I first saw it two decades ago. Great humor and premise. The bubblegum scene is priceless, unforgettable. Like most comedies, some moments and gags don't live up to others, and some coincidences and motivations are forced. The dated score may sound -- to some people -- a little cheesy at times. Nevertheless, I'd give the movie 4.5 stars. Definitely worth seeing!

On the other hand, I'd give the DVD itself 1 star -- for the fact that the movie at least *is* available on DVD, is in its original widescreen aspect ratio, and the packaging has nice graphics. One annoyance is that you can't turn off the (English) subtitles. (Also, there are no options for French subtitles or -- I speak for others -- English dubbing.)

Another annoyance is the pitiful, solitary "extra feature": Cast and Crew. For one thing, only two people are listed. And couldn't they find someone who knows English to edit the text? Furthermore, the user interface for Cast and Crew is terrible. The default is to go back to the previous screen, rather than forward; and there is no option to go back to the main Cast and Crew screen (you have to go back to the main menu and start from scratch). Lots of unnecessary clicking to get very little information. The scene selection interface is clunky as well. In summary, almost no extra features are present, and no thought was put into the user interface.

It is always a shame when an excellent movie gets a poor DVD treatment.

What they don't tell you about the German version: it's only in German! Yes, I was dumb enough to buy this non-subtitled version.