Le magnifique (1973)

Director:

Philippe de Broca

Writers:

Philippe de Broca (writer)
Vittorio Caprioli (writer)

Release Date:

23 November 1973 (France)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

Francois Merlin is an espionnage-book writer. He likes to mix every-day character he can met in his book...

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Action Heroine | Bad Guy | Shark | Blood

Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Bob Saint-Clair / François Merlin
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Tatiana / Christine
Vittorio Caprioli	...	Karpof / Charron
Hans Meyer	...	Colonel Collins
Monique Tarbès	...	Mrs. Berger
Mario David
Bruno Garcin	...	Pilu
Raymond Gérôme	...	General Pontaubert
Jean Lefebvre	...	The electrician
Fabrizio Moresco
André Weber	...	The plumber
Hubert Deschamps	...	Le vendeur
Bernard Musson	...	Interpreter
Thalie Frugès	...	Publishing House Hostess
René Barrera	...	The Chinese / The Bride

Also Known As:

Come si distrugge la reputazione del più grande agente segreto del mondo (Italy)
How to Destroy the Reputation of the Greatest Secret Agent... (UK)
The Magnificient Secret Agent (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

95 min | France:93 min | Germany:94 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

Albanian | French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

17 Rue des Tournelles, Paris 4, Paris, France

Company:

Les Films Ariane

Trivia:

No screenwriter is listed in the credits of the movie whose original script was in fact written by Francis Veber. In the DVD commentary, director Philippe de Broca explains that he thought that the character of Christine needed to be fleshed out. Veber disagreed and eventually director Jean-Paul Rappeneau was called to settle the question. Rappeneau agreed with de Broca and both of them rewrote part of Veber's script. Veber made strong reservations about the rewrite, and after seeing the finished movie, asked that his name be removed from the credits.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Bob Saint-Clair is on a canoe in Alaska, he picks up his rifle and aims it and we hear two shots, but nothing comes out of the rifle.

Quotes:

Bob Saint-Clair: Ah, betrayed!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Cucurrucucu Paloma

Not another spy comedy

Ussualy spy comedies are boring to me. James Bond was spoofed so many times, that it's not funny anymore (Get Smart (tv series) and Austin Powers is an exception). This movie would be also just another spy comedy, but some things make this movie different from other and even original. The plot is not usual to spy comedies. Actually there were two stories told in this movie - one about a poor writer, another is about a spy, who is a main character of the poor writers book. Both of them are played by Jean-Paul Belmondo, who was just brilliant in this movie. I liked his mimics of the face when he played Bob Saint-Clair (a spy). He played Bob Saint-Clair with some sort of irony and it was hilarious. Most of the jokes in this movie were slap-stick jokes, it looked weird sometimes, but that's probably what made this movie so funny.