The Mad Adventures of 'Rabbi' Jacob (1973)
"Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob" (original title)

A bigoted Frenchman finds himself forced to impersonate a popular rabbi while on the run from a group of assassins - and the police.

Director:

Gérard Oury

Writers:

Gérard Oury (screenplay), Danièle Thompson (screenplay),

Stars:

Louis de Funès, Suzy Delair, Marcel Dalio

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Louis de Funès	...	Victor Pivert
Suzy Delair	...	Germaine Pivert
Marcel Dalio	...	Rabbi Jacob (as Dalio)
Claude Giraud	...	Mohamed Larbi Slimane / Rabbi Zeiligman
Renzo Montagnani	...	Le colonel Farès
Janet Brandt	...	Tzipé Schmoll, la grand-mère
André Falcon	...	Le ministre
Xavier Gélin	...	Alexandre, le fils du général
Henri Guybet	...	Salomon, le chauffeur de Pivert
Popeck	...	Moishe Schmoll (as Jean Herbert)
Miou-Miou	...	Antoinette Pivert
Denise Provence	...	Esther Schmoll
Jacques François	...	Le général
Claude Piéplu	...	Le commissaire divisionnaire Andreani
Georges Adet	...	Le vieux Lévi

Storyline

In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assasins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.

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Plot Keywords:

rabbi | president | new york | jew | republican guard | 

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Taglines:

THE WILD... THE HILARIOUS... THE SCREWBALL... THE RIOTOUS

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English Hebrew Yiddish Arabic

Release Date:

18 October 1973 (France)

Also Known As:

The Mad Adventures of 'Rabbi' Jacob

Filming Locations:

Café Les Deux Magots - 6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris 6, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 18,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Pomereu, Horse Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Louis de Funès admitted later in an interview that if any trace of racial prejudice remained in him, shooting this film helped him "clean his soul".

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Goofs

During the boat escape sequence the headlamps of the car are on, but the rear lamps are not.

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Quotes

Victor Pivert: [astonished, to Salomon, his driver] Salomon, you're Jewish?

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Connections

Referenced in Pastewka: Der Unfall (2005)

User Reviews

A surprisingly excellent movie

This is an excellent movie. I have had few connections with French comedies, and the opening gags were unexpected. The acting, the plot, the dialog and the site gags were fantastic. You are not bothered by the English subtitles. The movie is never sluggish, and you will be pleasantly surprised. I have watched subtitled movies for 35 years and many French movies, and this is top tier. I have read various reviews and most of the negative comments concern the packaging and DVD itself, not the movie. However, when I viewed the film (and was not aware of the packaging or lack of extras)I was hardly bothered by what the DVD lacked. After reading the negative reviews, I was disturbed even less by the packaging. It's all about the movie, and it was wonderful. I rented it and now I shall own it.