Poisson d'avril (1954)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Gilles Grangier

Writers:

Michel Audiard (adaptation)
Michel Audiard (dialogue)

Release Date:

28 July 1954 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Cast

Bourvil	...	Émile Dupuy
Annie Cordy	...	Charlotte Dupuy
Jacqueline Noëlle	...	Annette Coindet
Maurice Biraud	...	Le vendeur du bazar
Louis Bugette	...	Le garagiste (as Bugette)
Paul Faivre	...	Louis dit Pépère
Suzanne Grey
René Havard	...	L'examinateur
Jean Hébey	...	M. Dutreille, le client du garage
Charles Lemontier	...	M. André (as Lemontier)
Guy Loriquet
Gérard Sabatier	...	Jacky
Zeimet
Denise Grey	...	Clémentine Prévost
Pierre Dux	...	Gaston Prévost

Also Known As:

April Fish (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

102 min | Poland:101 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Intermondia Films

Awesome script !

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This story is an awesome vaudeville that keeps you wondering how it will end as it gets more and more intricate and confusing for the characters. Everything is tight and plausible. Note that this is the first time you can see Bourvil and Louis De Funes in a same film (9 years before "Le Corniaud" !) despite De Funes's short appearance as a fishing guard. Why this film has remained so obscure is beyond me.

*SPOILERS AHEAD ??*

It's hard to talk about it without giving too much away and ruining the fun of it. However this is how the story unfolds: Emile lies to his wife to go fishing with his son instead. He visits his cousin Annette who tells him he should go fishing on her lover's land - a very wealthy married man. The fishing guard spots him, fines him and decides to report the incident to the wealthy man since Emile said he had his authorization through his cousin Annette. Unfortunately, his wife picks up the phone and later tells her husband about this man Emile fishing in their river. He doesn't mind about that but is more troubled about the kinship between Emile and his mistress Annette. As his wife wants to investigate further about Emile and Annette, her husband gets nervous and pretends to know Emile who supposedly saved his life at war. His wife insists to have him and Annette for dinner, wanting to meet the man who saved her husband's life and thinking Annette is his fiancee (from what her husband told her). Emile accepts after the wealthy man threatens Emile to tell his wife that he goes fishing instead as he found out from Annette.

Confusing ? Maybe when I tell it, but the dialogue is great (Audiard of course) and the film is paced without any loose ends in the script. The story goes on past this memorable dinner scene to take the characters into crazier situations and they even manage to make the film end in a way that works. Now what more do we need ?!!