SYNOPSIS: Newly released from prison, a thief is anxious to recover his stolen loot. But others are also anxious to lay their hands on the jewels. So with the help of his younger brother (a Catholic priest), he dresses himself in priestly clothes and decides to hide out in a small hamlet in the Ardèche. Fortuitously, the parish priest has just passed away, so the villagers naturally assume the thief is a replacement sent by the bishop. With the prompting of the altar boy, all goes well for the thief at first, but problems develop. One is the arrival of the real replacement priest. Another is the backsliding of the thief's good-hearted but weak-willed brother, who cashes the jewels but lets the money go to his head.
COMMENT: When you have a clever script that depends to an inordinate degree on the phrase, "but it just so happens", you have to make quite extraordinary efforts to disguise this fact or, at the very least, hide it away. In my experience, very few writers, actors and directors are capable of doing this, but it just so happens that Jean-Marie Bigard is the writer-actor who hits the jackpot here, and Roger Delattre is the astute director who manages to bring it off. And it all happens thanks to superb pacing that not only makes the jokes come thick and fast, but brilliant scripting that absolutely crowds the screen with cameos, and even better still, action! The audience is given no time to think, no time to ponder. Blink and you'll miss an arresting image. Turn your head and you'll lose touch with the plot. Pay attention to your date and you'll wonder why she and the rest of the audience are laughing so heartily.
As might be expected, Bigard has written a great role for himself. As a result, his is indeed a most striking presence. All the same, the support cast has not been neglected. Doudi has at least two or three scenes in which he wipes out some formidable opposition from the Mafia boss and a bevy of beautiful girls.
Produced on a grand scale, Le Missionnaire is at once a feast for the eyes, a constant titillation of the funny-bone and a truly emotional message for the heart. The film of the year, in my opinion!
COMMENT: When you have a clever script that depends to an inordinate degree on the phrase, "but it just so happens", you have to make quite extraordinary efforts to disguise this fact or, at the very least, hide it away. In my experience, very few writers, actors and directors are capable of doing this, but it just so happens that Jean-Marie Bigard is the writer-actor who hits the jackpot here, and Roger Delattre is the astute director who manages to bring it off. And it all happens thanks to superb pacing that not only makes the jokes come thick and fast, but brilliant scripting that absolutely crowds the screen with cameos, and even better still, action! The audience is given no time to think, no time to ponder. Blink and you'll miss an arresting image. Turn your head and you'll lose touch with the plot. Pay attention to your date and you'll wonder why she and the rest of the audience are laughing so heartily.
As might be expected, Bigard has written a great role for himself. As a result, his is indeed a most striking presence. All the same, the support cast has not been neglected. Doudi has at least two or three scenes in which he wipes out some formidable opposition from the Mafia boss and a bevy of beautiful girls.
Produced on a grand scale, Le Missionnaire is at once a feast for the eyes, a constant titillation of the funny-bone and a truly emotional message for the heart. The film of the year, in my opinion!