Almost every reference to 'Les tontons flinguers' includes the phrase 'cult film'. To be honest, I don't know exactly what this expression means, but I suspect that what is meant in this case is that director Georges Lautner's film has gained a loyal audience, who enjoy watching it again every time they get the chance, and that it includes some scenes that fans know by heart and several lines that have entered popular folklore, even if not everyone knows their source. But this film also has an interesting positioning. It was released in 1963, in the midst of the 'Nouvelle Vague' revolution in French cinema. A series of "cinema du papa" filmmakers - to use the expression attributed, it seems wrongly, to Truffaut - reacted by making films in the tradition of the 40s and 50s. Some of them were really good, and 'Les tontons flinguers' was one of them. In addition, it is also a parody of 'film noir' in the American style, the genre they were in love with and which the young 'Nouvelle Vague' directors imitated. Gaumont studios initially did not believe in the success of this film and to secure financing they allied themselves with German and Italian studios for a co-production. They were wrong both on the short term, with the film having over 3 million viewers in the year of its release, and of course in the long term, 'Les tontons flinguers' becoming, deservedly, a cinematic landmark.
'Les tontons flinguers' is the last film in a trilogy of adaptations of Albert Simonin's novels that have Max le Menteur (The Liar) as their hero. Unlike the previous films in which the main role was played by Jean Gabin, here the hero, renamed Fernand Naudin, is played by Lino Ventura. Withdrawn from the business of crime for 15 years, 'Uncle Fernand' is called to Paris by his friend Louis le Mexicain (the Mexican), who is on his deathbed, to take over his small illegal business empire and especially to take care of his daughter Patricia. The heads of the different 'branches of activity' of the Mexican, who hoped to inherit and administer them as they pleased, do not come to terms with the situation. What follows is the outbreak of an underworld gangs war parallel to young Patricia's adventures that prove as difficult to control as the crime empire.
Lino Ventura fits perfectly into the role of Uncle Fernand. His comic talent is evident today, but that was not the case at that point in his career, with the actor specialized in 'tough' gangster or cop roles almost turning down the role in this film. He is surrounded by a group of lesser-known actors, although you probably know many of their figures from supporting roles in many other films. I'll give special mention to Bernard Blier, Robert Dalban, Francis Blanche and German actor Horst Frank with an icy stare that makes him look like a Daniel Craig replica (just that Craig was not born yet). Jean Lefebvre, who would later become famous in comedies, had yet to demonstrate his full talent. The story is simple and therefore can be easily followed, and Michel Audiard's dialogues, combining jargon with the language of the rich, make us constantly wait for the next memorable line. Michel Magne's music is also worth paying attention to. It is about a single theme (composed of four notes!) that is repeated throughout the film in about 13 different styles, from baroque to twist. Maurice Fellous' cinematography also serves the comedy well and helps create some memorable scenes. Watched today, 'Les tontons flinguers' seems uneven and many of the jokes have lost their effect, but those few scenes of situation and language comedy that are very successful place it among the most memorable films of the period. The actors are said to have had a blast during the shooting. This can be seen, and we, the viewers, share the feeling even after 60 years.
'Les tontons flinguers' is the last film in a trilogy of adaptations of Albert Simonin's novels that have Max le Menteur (The Liar) as their hero. Unlike the previous films in which the main role was played by Jean Gabin, here the hero, renamed Fernand Naudin, is played by Lino Ventura. Withdrawn from the business of crime for 15 years, 'Uncle Fernand' is called to Paris by his friend Louis le Mexicain (the Mexican), who is on his deathbed, to take over his small illegal business empire and especially to take care of his daughter Patricia. The heads of the different 'branches of activity' of the Mexican, who hoped to inherit and administer them as they pleased, do not come to terms with the situation. What follows is the outbreak of an underworld gangs war parallel to young Patricia's adventures that prove as difficult to control as the crime empire.
Lino Ventura fits perfectly into the role of Uncle Fernand. His comic talent is evident today, but that was not the case at that point in his career, with the actor specialized in 'tough' gangster or cop roles almost turning down the role in this film. He is surrounded by a group of lesser-known actors, although you probably know many of their figures from supporting roles in many other films. I'll give special mention to Bernard Blier, Robert Dalban, Francis Blanche and German actor Horst Frank with an icy stare that makes him look like a Daniel Craig replica (just that Craig was not born yet). Jean Lefebvre, who would later become famous in comedies, had yet to demonstrate his full talent. The story is simple and therefore can be easily followed, and Michel Audiard's dialogues, combining jargon with the language of the rich, make us constantly wait for the next memorable line. Michel Magne's music is also worth paying attention to. It is about a single theme (composed of four notes!) that is repeated throughout the film in about 13 different styles, from baroque to twist. Maurice Fellous' cinematography also serves the comedy well and helps create some memorable scenes. Watched today, 'Les tontons flinguers' seems uneven and many of the jokes have lost their effect, but those few scenes of situation and language comedy that are very successful place it among the most memorable films of the period. The actors are said to have had a blast during the shooting. This can be seen, and we, the viewers, share the feeling even after 60 years.