Fernandel

At the end of the 1950s, four humor specialists simultaneously experienced recognition. Fernandel with “The Cow and the Prisoner”, Bourvil with “The Hunchback”, Jacques Tati with “My Uncle” and Louis de Funès with “Oscar” at the theater. On the big screen or on stage, each of these artists has a unique style of humor. They are the kings of French comedy. But how did they manage to become true box office champions? How did they experience their immense popularity? How do they still influence the comedy genre? And above all, are- are they funny in life? Where is the line between their character in the cinema and their real personality?

55 years ago, on October 1 1968, the first brand advertising spot appeared on the French television screen. Over the next three decades, thousands of creative little films would seduce and build our collective memory. Kitschy or cult spots, humor, slogans, music, stars, gimmicks, grand spectacle or sex appeal: during its golden age, how did advertising convince? Thierry Ardisson has brought together almost 400 advertising clips to relive the era of the conquest of minds and wallets.

For 25 years now, under the Provence sun, Antonin, a farmhand, has shared his work and everyday life with a horse named Ulysse. What a shock when Pascal, the farmer, tells him he has decided to sell Ulysse to a picador for being too old. Not only will he be separated from his faithful companion, but he is well aware too that the arenas of Arles mean death for Ulysse. Being unable to stand such injustice, Antonin runs away from the farm in the company of Ulysse. Together, they go through the Lubéron, the Baux de Provence, the Alpilles, the Crau and the Vaccarès. Yet, their journey is no pleasure cruise, specially when it comes to crossing National Road 7. After a visit to Marcellin, an old friend of his, Antonin sets off again with Ulysse, this time towards the Rhône River.

The film consists of seven roughly 15 minute episodes, each showing what will happen if one or more of the Ten Commandments will be broken: Jérome Chambard is warned that he will lose his job if he continues to swear; Françoise Beaufort enamored of a stripper calls on her only to find her married to a janitor who doesn't know what kind of dancing his wife performs; Denis, a Jesuit novice, leaves the order to avenge his sister's suicide, which was provoked by Garigny, who seduced her into prostitution and drug addiction; Philip buys a necklace for Micheline though he is bored with her; a young man find out that his real mother is not Madeleine, but actress Clarisse Ardant; Didier Marin, cashier of a bank, was fired by his boss; the Devil appears as a serpent for Jérome Chambard and the bishop are eating.

Don Camillo (now bishop) and Peppone (now senator) return to the town of Brescello and rekindle their friendly rivalry.

Priest Don Camillo blackmails his friendly rival Peppone into letting him join a Communist delegation visiting the Soviet Union.

Pétepan learns that his money has been lost by Robinhoude brothers.He asks his assistants to withdraw his amount from the bank.

In Naples, a voice from the skies announces one morning that the final judgment will be at 6 p.m. on that day. What follows is a series of vignettes depicting various people's reactions (or lack thereof) to the announcement.

After thirteen years in Germany, Fernand is coming back to his wife and his restaurant. But since his disparition, his wife as made her life with a norman chef, sympathetic but a specialist of butter's cooking when Fernand cook only with oil!

Jules is a shepherd who lives a humble and solitary life in rural Provence. From time to time, he is visited by a lonely widow, Fine, who longs to be his wife. One day, Jules comes across an unexploded bomb lying on the ground in open countryside. After a few foolhardy attempts to set the bomb off, Jules makes a surprising discovery. It is filled with thousands of bank notes…

Mr. Pelletan's rascal son Bébert son got another F for playing in class. His punishment is an essay on the Merovingian king Dagobert. All they know is he had eight wives and reunited Francia. The ignorant knave's irreverent imagination turns that into a harem and a ludicrous war without armies, loaded with anachronisms, in a race against rival king Charibert for the crown of Reims. The king's right hand, archbishop Eloi, the later patrons saint of carpentry, is portrayed as an inventor.

Antoine and Marie decided to introduce their parents before the wedding. Summer vacation looks like a good time, so the Lartigue family prepares to host Malhouin family. But it turns out that the harsh Emil Malhouin is not too happy to get acquainted with his future relatives...

Mr Jo, nicknamed "the man with the Buick", is the darling of the small town of Honfleur. But he is in fact a trafficker with a bad reputation who would like to forget about his past, now limiting himself to smuggling rubies under the cover of a charitable organization which offers underprivileged children holidays in Switzerland. However, Mr. Jo is in love with a pretty widow and, in order to marry her, he is willing to get involved in a hold-up again. And "the man with the Buick", who seemed so honorable, will surprise the inhabitants of Honfleur when Inspector Menard reveals his secret activities.

Pursued by a rival gang after a violent robbery, Toni escapes with nearly thirty million francs. On the train to Paris, to avoid arousing suspicion, he has no choice but to threaten an honorable philosophy professor, Justin Mignonnet, with his gun, so that he will carry the loot for him. To make sure he returns the money, he takes his papers and makes him promise to be present at the exchange appointment at the Pigalle Hotel the next day. Completely lost, Mignonnet decides to obey orders, but just as he is about to return the money, a young woman, a member of the enemy gang, comes to collect it.

During WW2, it's not wise to be a mayor chosen by the fascists with the Americans' impending arrival.

Hélène and François are a perfect couple happily married for twelve years. But Hélène discovers psychoanalysis via a very handsome Dr. Kougloff, and he convinces her that the apparent well-balanced nature of her husband is in fact a cover for horrible tragedies.

Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.

In a village of the Po valley where the earth is hard and life miserly, the priest and the communist mayor are always fighting to be the head of the community. If in secret, they admired and liked each other, politics still divided them as it is dividing the country. And when the mayor wants his "People's House"; the priest wants his "Garden City" for the poor. Division exist between the richest and the poorest, the pious and the atheists and even between lovers. But if the people are hard as the country, they are good in the bottom of there heart.

A lord’s servant, Ali Baba, is sent to retrieve a slave for his master, but ends up on an adventure filled with gold, mischief, love, and forty famous thieves instead.

In 1942, a French prisonner of war in Germany decide to escape to France using a cow hold by a lunge as a decoy. He cross all Germany in this way.

Energetic priest Don Camillo returns to the town of Brescello for more political and personal duels with Communist mayor Peppone.

A publicity-minded French mayor reunites quintuplets and their earthy father, all six played by Fernandel.

Comedian Bob Hunter is aided by his French counterpart Fernydel and two beautiful blondes when he is targeted for death by a powerful European counterfeiting ring.

Bewildered, Don Camillo learns that Peppone intends to stand for parliament. Determined to thwart his ambitions, the good priest, ignoring the recommendations of the Lord, decides to campaign against him.

In spite of his failures as a peddler, Casimir guaranteed his fiance that this time the vacuum cleaners will work for good. But he's still unsuccessful until he go to the appartment of Paul-Andre, a painter who was engaged by correspondence to a rich south-American woman. That's exactly when she arrive armed with a gun infuriated after she had received a rupture letter from the man she had never seen. She mistakenly took Casimir as her painter lover. Casimir his ready to flee until he learned she owned many hotels, a thousand rooms in fact. "A thousand rooms, a thousand vacuum cleaners", he suddenly think.

A modest taylor the women found irresistible inherit a Maison de couture in financial difficulty. Decided to save it he prepare a great collection. But when his wife discovered his relations with one of the mannequin, how would he prevent the scandale without loosing... both of them?!

Don Juan is arrested during one of his raids loving, just as he intended to seduce the daughter of the Governor, who was about to marry. His faithful servant, too accustomed to be all sticks, passed by him to save his skin, a situation that will allow you to win the love of a beautiful comic. Meanwhile, the real Don Juan is reduced to the status of servant.

Assola is an imaginary village on the border between Italy and France and the borderline crosses the village itself. The French customs agent Ferdinand is always trying to catch the Italian smuggler Giuseppe. Giuseppe discovers that Ferdinand was actually born in Italy and therefore he can't be a French customs agent.

A veterinarian in Figarolo, Giuliano Goberti has also been providing care to the villagers since the death of Dr. Lofal, but the arrival of a luscious replacement for the vacant doctor precipitates events. While she prescribes drugs, Giuliano orders the bedridden Countess to eat well and exercise. A Roman journalist reports on the miraculous results. Soon the quiet little Italian town is invaded by a motley crew of imaginary patients, who have to bring an animal with them to save the vet from trouble for practicing medicine illegally. In the end, the brave Giuliano marries the lovely doctoress, thus curing their celibacy.

The writer Pierre Carot became rich and famous with his book "Life as a Couple", which was based on the loving relationships of four couples. Now he's setting up his will and wants to leave his wealth to the couples among the four, which are still as deeply in love - if any: else, his companions get the money. He sends them out to visit the couples and test their love.

A small village is torn apart by a quarrel between the baker and the italian grocery tenant, mother of a pregnant young girl. She accuses the baker's son, doing his military service in Algeria, to be the father of the would be child. Offended, the baker refuses to deliver bread to the villagers standing on the mother's side.

The Provence, somewhere in the 1950's. Paul Verdier, traveling salesman, leaves his home and his quarrelsome wife for his weekly round. On the train he meets a young woman, Marie, who looks a little lost. No wonder. Marie is pregnant but lacks the customary husband. She's returning to her village but is not exactly looking forward to the confrontation with her parents and the villagers, all pretty conservative people. After getting to know Paul a little better (for which there is ample time during the trip by train and bus) Marie decides to ask Paul to act as her husband, just to allay the suspicions of her family. After some hesitating Paul accepts, charmed by the girl and unaware of the complications such is bound to cause to his own life.

Is it because his father was a groom that Adhémar Pomme has a long horse head and a horse- toothed smile? Maybe but the fact is that his head has invariably caused laughter whatever the circumstances, which is the tragedy of his life. After having worked as an undertaker, a theater prompter, a casino bouncer, and so on, and failing at each job, he applies out of desperation to an institution where those rejected for physical reasons can hide and live together. But Adhémar immediately starts... laughing at them and gets kicked out as a result! In the end though, he finds his way as a circus artist.

In the absence of his wife, a clarinet player is induced by a friend to meet a call girl, but arrived after a crime. Perceived by some people leaving the scene of the crime covered by his raincoat, he became the only suspect for the police. His only hope is to discover the murderer before is name is mentionned publicly, specially in front of his wife.

Sénéchal, an actor touring the provinces with the "Tournées Carlini" does not meet the success he thinks he deserves. One night in Dreux, he finds himself without his luggage and dressed up as a Foreign Legion officer, he is invited to a party thrown by a colonel. He creates a sensation there and does not leave the colonel's wife ... indifferent! Back in Paris, Sénéchal goes through a similar experience. This time around, wearing tuxedo and top hat, he gets mistaken for a diplomat and charms the guests of a wedding party. Arrested by the police, he chooses to do without an attorney at his trial and his brilliant eloquence has him acquitted. A question remains unanswered though : will all those people who give an ovation in real life ever go to see him on stage ?

A doctor, leading an agreed life of the provincial petty bourgeoisie, falls in love with a young woman. As their relationship deepens, he becomes violently jealous and blames her for her dating and friendships.

Celestin works as an organist at a girl's school. By day, Celestin is the meek and mild target of the girls' incessant practical jokes. By night, however, he is the celebrated composer of popular operas -- and the romantic vis-à-vis of a celebrated stage star. When schoolgirl Denise stumbles onto Celestin's secret, she threatens to tell all -- but only if Celestin refuses to escort her to the opening night of his latest opera. As a result, Denise falls in love with a handsome young soldier, while Celestin is accidentally shipped off to an army camp. A series of silly coincidences brings happiness to all concerned by fade-out time.

As he explains to the journalist who came to interview him, Honoré cultivates, as a perfect Marseillais, farnienté and galéjade. He evokes the Phocaean Protis, who founded the city of Marseille, and the Roman Honorius, who invented pétanque. He loves to go fishing with his friends Garrigue and Watermelon to prepare a good bouillabaisse, and even more, to rig the results of a vote to allow a little protégée to be crowned Miss flots bleus.

Victor Boniface's life is not exactly a rest cure. Just imagine: Victor is both a store detective and a ... shoplifter (only when he walks in his sleep, mind you)! And falling in love while sleepwalking is no bed of roses either, as the good-natured man simply forgets everything after waking up. Fortunately love wins the game in the end. Does that mean that life will become as easy as pie ? Certainly not: the little Bonifaces will be sleepwalkers just like their daddy!

"Easiest Profession" - Tistin is the only unemployed man in Clochemerle. Obliged to use their tax money to keep Tistin alive, the other guys in town insist that he find some sort of work. Tistin obligingly takes a few jobs, working for the various ladies in town. Before long, the menfolk become convinced that Tistin is using this cover to play the field, and they're angry at him all over again.

After a deadbeat patron at his restaurant gets special care from the cops who think the man has amnesia, the maitre d'hotel decides to pretend he too has amnesia. He is claimed in turn by an aristocrat family and by trapeze artists.

A rural maiden's two suitors go off to war, leaving her pregnant.

A son of a family in debt decides to put an end to his life and calls on a professional killer to do so, who promises to kill him within forty-eight hours. However the next day, money, luck and love smile at her again. Then can begin an infernal hide-and-seek between the assassin and his victim.

The aunt of Alfred Puc, a meek tax-collector in Paris, dies while riding in a moving van. The driver, not wishing to be bothered by a police interrogation, hides her corpse in a cupboard before notifying Alfred. But the van is stolen. Alfred, being the heir of a rich lady, begins a frantic search to locate the missing van and the cupboard because one can't claim an inheritance if there is no 'corpus delecti.' In his search, he gets caught up in an underworld web and finds the body of a murdered gangster in his room. He finally locates the cupboard but promptly loses it again. But, wait, it isn't "finis' time, yet.

In a palace in Nice, a modest valet is confused with his master, a viscount chased by a man-eater.

Désiré Le Sec has just won the "amateur policeman contest" and he is so glad he 's telling all the people around.He is an insure agent ,and his boss,his uncle,is annoyed :a man took out a big life insurance and died soon afterward.

The story is about a lieutenant, nicknamed "the Rooster of the Regiment", a married man, who just can't help running after any woman passing around, and one of his friend, who always has "good ideas" to give him a hand to come out of "ubuesque" situations.

An employee at a jewelry store falls in love with a woman who secretly plans to rob the store.

After the death of her husband, Christine realizes she has possibly wasted her life by marrying him instead of the man towards whom, in her youth, she had a stronger inclination. To overcome these dreary thoughts, she decides to find out about him and the other men who danced with her during a ball that was a turning point in her life, many years ago. She pays a visit to those forgotten acquaintances one after the other; Christine is not only surprised to see how they have fared, but also discovers the impact she had, unknowingly, on the feelings and the destiny of these persons.

If Fernandel did not appear in a supporting part ,another short (by E.Chotin who made dozens of them)which would not have been restored.But Fernandel is here ,playing a street pedlar selling luxury (sic) clothes on the flea market with a gorgeous girl as a model.This is a rather desultory script but Fernandel's presence makes the short worthwhile.He sings one song: "le Père Lapuce". A wealthy antique dealer, having started in the flea market in the past, settles his son there, an unrepentant nuke, to teach him how to work. There he meets a treasure: his future wife.

Angèle is a 1934 French drama film directed, produced and written by Marcel Pagnol. It stars Orane Demazis as a naive young woman who is seduced and abandoned. It is based on the novel Un de Baumugnes by Jean Giono.

In her village, Ms. Husson seeks to put a price under a rosiere but finding no worthy young pretty girl, hands it has Isidore, the village idiot, who becomes rosier

A colonel decided to be represented at the regiment festival of a tragedy in verse by the poem written by his sister.

A pompous grocer’s assistant in Marseille annoys a visiting film crew so much that they prank him with a phony acting contract; believing it to be real, the “schpountz” heads to Paris for his new career.

Jules and Fernand are two boys from the Café des sports in Marseille who take part in their corporation's annual race.

Aubrey is a debt-ridden man. One day, he has the idea of ​​faking his death and taking on the role of a deceased cousin about to receive a beautiful inheritance. This idea will, however, lead him to very difficult situations.

Valentin Bourgeasse is an inveterate drunk. He takes the matter so far that one day he is evicted from his apartment. A few evenings later evening, as he has drunk too much (what else?), he forgets that he doesn't live there anymore so imagine his surprise when he finds a lady in "his" bed.

François and Victor sell hard candy at the fun fair. They also bring up Gisèle, a one-year-old child they found by the side of the road. Although the two men are often at each other's throats they are the best friends, getting on well with the other fairground people. But when they defend Lisa, the fortune teller's daughter against Dédé, a thug who pesters her, they provoke his anger. Dédé sets fire to the two friends' stand and they are forced to take the road.

A one-night stand with an entertainer threatens to destroy a woman's marriage after she gives birth to a black child.

A woman enters a police station at night to ask the commissioner to help her get rid of her dead lover's body to protect her honor.