Customer Reviews

The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe - with ENGLISH subtitles (Import)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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

It took me years to get a copy of this movie and was well worth the time and energy. Thanks to Amazon and their contacts!!!

It's just silly.

But I do think it's what decided me to major in French, back when I first saw it at age 16.

And it still makes me giggle.