Product Details

• Actors: Pierre Richard, Bernard Blier, Jean Rochefort, Mireille Darc, Colette Castel
• Directors: Yves Robert
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen, Subtitled, Import
• Subtitles: English, Russian
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: SomeWax
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KD30OU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,156 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

ENGLISH SUBTITLES!!! Import, Region free, Widescreen, NTSC DVD. Audio Tracks: DD 2.0 FRENCH and optional DD 2.0 RUSSIAN (voice-over)____________ SYNOPSIS: In this wacky French spy comedy, the chief of the French secret service wants very much to keep his job and stoops to chicanery to prevent rivals from closing in. He points to a man chosen at random from a crowd of people (Pierre Richard), and identifies him to his rival as an important spy who must be followed at all costs. In fact, he is François, a bumbling, good-natured musician. However, his lack of any notable spy-like failings only serves to convince his watchers that he is more skillful and professional than they. At every turn, they redouble their efforts, leading to many absurd situations. For instance, they send a beautiful woman to try to get his secrets from him. Instead, convinced of his innocence, she falls in love with him. This extremely popular film became actor Pierre Richard's signature role, and he often used the character's name in other films. This was one of the first successful screenplays by Francis Veber, who went on to write the screenplay for La Cage Aux Folles and many other successful comedies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Comedy with Great Soundtrack,, December 19, 2006

By 

Galina (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe - with ENGLISH subtitles (Import) (DVD)

This comedy/mystery is simply delightful. You can call it a masterpiece of its genre(s) or you can just enjoy its great timing, hilarious physical comedy, its story that involves spies, murders, and a sexy blonde (Mireille Darc) in a dress you have to see to believe. Pierre Richar is excellent as the blond man of the title who one day became a "person of great interest" for two rival departments in the French secret service. As we know, it is very difficult to find a black cat in a dark room especially if the cat is not in the room and that's what the experienced employees of the secret service try to do - to find the sense in the routine activities of a man they are convinced is an important spy and who is in reality an absent-minded and oblivious violinist and the object of the practical jokes by his fellow musicians.

If it is not enough, there is a soundtrack written by Vladimir Cosma and performed by the King of Pan Flute, a famous Romanian musician Gheorghe Zamfir. Cosma recalls that when he was composing the music for The Tall Blond Man, he was thinking of the movie "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" and he wanted to use the elements of the Eastern European music. His idea to use the themes of Romanian doinas played by Zamfir was a stroke of genius. Once you hear the melodies, you won't be able to forget them.

5 to the movie and 5+ to the soundtrack

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This DVD was made for me, March 7, 2010

By 

Anonymous Howard (Milpitas, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe - with ENGLISH subtitles (Import) (DVD)

I saw this movie in a theater when it first came out in the 1970s. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. It was the funniest movie I had seen to that time (and it has *THAT* dress). I went back and saw it a second time with my college dorm room mate and my girlfriend (who is now my wife of 33 years). It was my introduction to the genre of French farces.

Years later, I started buying DVDs of old films I loved, especially French farces. No collection of French Farces would be complete without this film. But this film was particularly difficult to locate. Finally I found it on Amazon, the original French film with English subtitles, just like I'd seen in college, but with Russian DVD menus and extras. Fortunately for me, I studied Russian in school too! So, this DVD was made for me.

The good news: you don't need to know any Russian to enjoy this DVD. Let's face it, a monkey could navigate DVD menus to find "play". The only "extra" you'll miss is a filmography of Pierre Richard entirely in Russian (Cyrillic) text (no pictures - not too exciting).

I highly recommend this DVD. You won't find it on NetFlix.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars See the film, July 9, 2010

By 

Manta - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe - with ENGLISH subtitles (Import) (DVD)

One of the best french comedies. It's funny on all level. Pierre Richard is at his best.