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63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart comedy, slapstick with a French knack (knight?), March 11, 2002
A very funny French comedy, this movie, and its sequel, was a huge hit in France. A medieval knight (Jean Reno, of "The Professional" and "Godzilla" fame) and his servant (Christian Clavier, a famous French comic actor, unknown abroad) got magically transported forward in time to the XXth century, where he meets his descendants - and tries to adjust to our modern world, from the mysteries of running water and flushing toilets, to those of modern women and the free pursuit of life and happiness for all. The pace never slacks, the movie offers a series of sight gags, as well as a number of more tongue-in-cheek and even (gasp) intellectual jokes and double-entendres -along w/ some "profound" reflexions slickly intertwined w/in the storyline. The movie can be approached at several levels, from the basic visceral to the high-fallutin', and has appeal to different audiences - and viewers' moods. The language is precious (difference between old French and modern French) but there's enough situational and sight humour in there that even non-French speakers should find the movie enjoyable. The U.S. remake, albeit with the same main actors, was not quite on a par, as seems to be too often the case. I felt it favored the slapstick, and neglected the more subtle undertones that the original managed to carry as well. If I have to pick a nit, it would be that that the DVD doesn't offer more Special features <grumble grumble> - but the movie is well-worth the purchase (or rental :-) anyway. Pick a bottle of wine and some good cheese, and make an evening of it!
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
J'adore ce film!, November 17, 2004
This is supposedly the highest grossing French movie of all time. I believe it. This movie is well-acted and supurbly scripted.
Jean Reno stars as the civilized brute, Godefroy le Hardi, living in the 1100s with his vassal, Jacquouille la Fripouille, played by Christian Clavier. Godefroy wishes to return to the past to correct a grave error, but the very old, possible senile, wizard omits the "oeufs de caille" from the recipe and Godefroy and Jacquouille find themselves in the future.
Godefroy finds his "petite-petite-petite-petite fille" Béatrice de Montmirail, played superbly by Valerie Lemercier, who has modern French aristocratic tics down pat. He is disgusted to find that his Chateau is now a hotel in the hands of a nouveau-riche commoner, Jacquard also played by Clavier. Without telling the whole story, Godefroy is, of course, trying to get back to the past to be with his beloved Dame Frenegonde, also played by Lemercier.
The acting in this movie is fantastic, the main characters, Reno, Clavier, Lemercier and Marie-Anne Chazal are all very funny. The supporting cast is just as good, with the beautiful Isabelle Nanty playing a gossipy, litiginous executive assistant and Christian Bujeau as Béatrice de Montmirail's high-strung, dentist husband.
There is a lot of word play between the medieval French spoken by Godefroy and Jacquouille and modern French. The English sub-titles leave quite a bit to be desired, as they don't do a very good job conveying this. If you don't speak French you may find that this movie relies heavily on sight gags because the complex language jokes are lost in translation. However, I have watched this with non-French speaking friends before and they have still enjoyed the movie very much. If you speak French you will enjoy this movie tremendously. I am a fluent speaker and it has taken me several watchings to get all the subtleties of language in this movie. I laugh out loud each time I watch it. It remains to this day, 10 years after I first saw it in the theater and countless movies later, one of my all-time favorites!
I give this edition of the movie a 4 out of 5 for a few reasons, none related to the movie itself, but still minor annoyances that detract from the film. For example, you cannot turn off the subtitles as far as I can tell. Additionally, the English subtitles aren't entirely faithful to what is said on screen. This doesn't detract from the film but it is still obnoxious, there are no bonus materials at all with this DVD.
Despite these minor things I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good, accessible French comedy, especially if you are a fan of Reno or Clavier.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Les Visiteurs, November 27, 1999
"Les Visiteurs" (1993). I saw this film in letterbox format on Showtime Cable in June 1999. (The title sequences on the NTSC/VHS version are letterbox, but the bulk of the film is panned and scanned.) I must have tuned in 10 or 15 minutes after the opening. It is the funniest film I have ever seen. I had to consider whether this could actually be true, because I laughed so hard that I could not always read the subtitles due to my tears! What I like about this film is its playful absurdity. (I never liked the "screwball comedy" genre until this film.) The writers and actors seem to have an excellent sense of history, modern as well as medieval and of human nature. The premise is unbelievable, but is presented early in the film. The humanity, in particular the willingness of the characters to learn, to try new things and new language, is very naturally presented. This is what makes the film work. I am reminded of Peter Sellers in his 1979 film "Being There". An unbelievable premise made believable and entertaining by the naturalness of the characters in an unnatural context. This film has profanity and violence which may be inappropriate for younger audiences. It contains medieval French which may produce interesting side effects for students of French who use this film as a motivational study aid! I understand that a French language only version is available for U.S. (NTSC) players and that the 1996 sequel "Les Visiteurs 2" is also available, without subtitles. I also understand that the original cast will remake the film in 2000 entirely in English. Somehow, despite my absent French, I cannot imagine how this film could be improved upon. We will see.
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