Comedy
aka: The Cupboard Was Bare
Film Review
Fernandel may be one of the best-loved figures in French cinema buteven his most ardent admirers have to admit that the majority of hisfilms are mediocre - shallow vehicles to showcase their star performer,of limited appeal to general film enthusiasts. A few ofFernandel's films, however, stand out and are not only superlativeexamples of French cinema, but also show the horse-faced comic actor athis best. L'Armoire volanteis one such film - an inspired black comedy which is almost the perfectantithesis of a typical Fernandel offering.
The film was directed by Carlo Rim, an established screenwriter who hadonly made one previous film, Simplet (1942), which heco-directed with Fernandel. Rim was more prolificas a screenwriter and directed only seven subsequent films,the most interesting being La Maison Bonnadieu (1951)and Virgile (1953).Somehow, Rim managed to persuade hisstar that the film would only work if he played his character deadstraight - and he was right. It is Fernandel's restrainedperformance which makes L'Armoirevolante so engaging and so irresistibly funny. Thesituation Fernandel's character finds himself in is enough to make uslaugh, and it is a treat to see the actor playing against the comedyinstead of (as is more usually the case) over-hyping it for all it isworth.
L'Armoire volante isn't justone of Fernandel's best films, it is also one of only a handful of hisfilms that can legitimately be described a film d'auteur. NicolasHayer's creepily atmospheric photography and Georges Van Parys's eeriemusic both brilliantly underscore the macabre and humorous elements ofthe plot. Add to that some wonderful surreal touches and the result is unlike anything that Fernandel had everappeared in up until this time. Unfortunately, black comedy wasnot something that French cinema audiences of the period appreciatedand the film was not a great success. Since then, however, thefilm's appeal has grown and it has aged far better than most ofFernandel's films. It may not be quite in the same league as thatother classic black comedy which involves a corpse in a piece offurniture, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944),but it comes pretty close.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Alfred Pic, a hardworking tax inspector, finds himself in a pickle when hisbossy aunt, Madame Lobligeois, goes missing in the most bizarre circumstances.It begins one cold winter's morning when the indomitable old woman sets offfor Clermont-Ferrand to collect some furniture. In the course of thegruelling road journey, Madame Lobligeois dies from the cold, just as hernephew had feared. The deliverymen have no choice but to put the bodyof the old woman into a wardrobe in the back of their lorry and resume theirerrand. Things go from bad to worse when the lorry is stolen beforethe furniture and the corpse can be delivered. Alfred isn't too concernedby the mysterious disappearance of his unloved relative, until his notarytells him that he cannot inherit her estate until her body has been discovered.
If Madame Lobligeois was the bane of Alfred's life when she was living, sheis about to become ten times more so now that she is dead. Withoutdelay, the tax inspector sets out to find the stolen lorry and soon discoversthat it was bought by a young couple. To pay their debts, the latterwere obliged to sell the lorry's contents to a suspicious looking hoteliernamed Martinet. Believing that his inheritance is finally within hisgrasp, Alfred pays a visit to Martinet's hotel and starts making a searchof all of the wardrobes. In one of these he is rewarded by the discoveryof a dead body. Alas, it is not his aunt but a man - a gangster!It seems that the wardrobe containing Madame Lobligeois has gone off on itstravels again. In his increasingly desperate pursuit of the errantpiece of furniture, Alfred has cause to wonder if his quest will ever end.When it does, he is in for a very nasty surprise...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Similar Films
Here are some other films you may enjoy watching:
- Drôle de drame (1937)
- Le Trésor de Cantenac (1950)
- Compartiment de dames seules (1934)
- A Day at the Races (1937)
- L'Habit vert (1937)
Other related links:
- The best French films of the 1940s
- The best French comedies
Film Credits
- Director: Carlo Rim
- Script: Carlo Rim
- Cinematographer: Nicolas Hayer
- Music: Georges Van Parys
- Cast: Fernandel (Alfred Puc),Berthe Bovy (Madame Lea Lobligeois),Germaine Kerjean (Madame Coufignac),Albert Dinan (P'tit Louis),Maximilienne (La commandant e de l'armée du salut),Paul Demange (Le Frise),Louis Florencie (Le notaire),Jean Toulout (L'acteur),Pauline Carton (Mme Ovide),André Bervil (Le premier habitué),Nina Myral (La première commère),Jean Témerson (Le deuxième habitué),Christiane Sertilange (La jeune mariée),Jean Daurand (Le jeune marié),Katherine Kath (L'actrice),Gaston Modot (Un gangster),Jacques Tarride (Le commissaire-priseur),René Hell (Le régissseur),Zélie Yzelle (La deuxième commère),Luc Andrieux (Le troisième habitué)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Support: Black and White
- Runtime: 90 min
- Aka: The Cupboard Was Bare
The very best of the French New Wave
A wave of fresh talent in the late 1950s, early 1960s brought about a dramatic renaissance in French cinema, placing the auteur at the core of France's 7th art.
Read more...
The best French Films of the 1920s
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.
Read more...
The history of French cinema
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
Read more...
The best French films of 2019
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2019.
Read more...
The best French war films ever made
For a nation that was badly scarred by both World Wars, is it so surprising that some of the most profound and poignant war films were made in France?
Read more...
Other things to look at
Review of The Passionate Friends
Review of De vrais mensonges
Review of Fitzcarraldo
Review of Nais
Review of Tirez la langue, mademoiselle
