The film has a nice little premise that allows De Funès not to rely much on his expected gimmicks, you know the over-the-top reactions, the grimaces and gesticulations, he's rather quite restrained and it pays off most of the times. But 1967 marks a real turn, the top movies of 64, 65 and 66 were objectively the best and are still regarded as De Funès most defining and iconic works, "The Exchange Student" is a good movie that delivers a fair share of laughs but 'legendary' isn't a word I'd use to describe it. But if there's a point I'm trying to make is that De Funès' bankable status had firmly been established, that it happened with two different directors, proved was definitely De Funès' talent that attracted the viewers. Now, why should I always bring up these ponderous statistics when I review a De Funès movie, to be honest, it's because I don't feel much like reviewing this film and I'm just gaining space and time.
It wouldn't happen in 1968 because you just can't beat Walt Disney "The Jungle Book" attracted 14 million people, twice more than any De Funès movie but still less than "The Great Stroll".
Indeed, the last two years were his classic works with Gérard Oury: "The Sucker" and "The Great Stroll" (the most successful French movie of all time before being dethroned in 2008 by Dany Boon's "Welcome to the Ch'tis") and before them, Jean Girault first opus of the "Troops" series: "the Gendarme of St Tropez". "The Exchange Student" won the Golden Ticket in 1967, it was the movie that attracted the highest number of viewers, it also marks the fourth time in a row that this feat is achieved by a De Funès comedy (forgive the pleonasm). The flick will appeal to Louis de Funes fans. Girault was a comedy expert, directing a lot, such as : The miser, Squek squek, Jo, The troops of St Tropez, Gendarme in balade, Gendarme in New York, Gendarme and the Gendarmettes, Gendarme and the creatures of the outer space, Les Charlots, among others.
#Cashback movie french exchange student series#
The picture was amusingly and lively directed by Jean Girault who made the Saint Tropez series with Louis de Funes. As well as colorful cinematography by Marcel Grignon, this notorious cameraman is considered to be one of the best of French cinema. Agreeable musical score by regular Raymond Lefebre that scored Saint Tropez franchise. And brief appearance by Silvia Dionisio, subsequently a star of the Italian sex comedy. Here Funes is accompanied by ordinary actors who usually show up in Saint Tropez Gendarme series as Claude Gensac also playing his wife, Guy Grosso and Maurice Risch. Costarred by the likeable young girl Martine Kelly who also played with Funes in Hibernatus and The Band, in addition Ferdy Mayne who acted in Fearless Vampire Killers by Polanski. As it is a Louis de Funes show, giving a sympathetic acting, as usual, he is very good providing his habitual Tics, gestures, tongue twister and overacting with lots of gesticulation. In fact this role as a strict school headmaster was particularly written for this great French comedy superstar. Of course, the central piece is Louis de Funes himself and his comic genious, while delivering a towering main performance, a prime example of a first role carrying a film. This enjoyable French comedy contains amusing incidents, funny set pieces, slapstick, slapdash, simple humor and loads of fun. But then his colleague : Ferdy Mayne, soon joins him and things go wrong. To be aware Charles of his true activitates, that's why he follows his son, chasing the yacht by sailing, or flying. On vacation he is planning a student exchange between his son Philippe and MacFarrell's daughter : Martine Kelly, but Philip actually plans to save an amusing holiday by boat and replacing himself by the fat nerd Stephane : Maurice Rish. This diverting film deals with a stiff Principal named Charles : Louis de Funes, of a rigid boarding school. 1960s style French comedy with better than average gags and the comic timing of Funes.
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