Banzaï (1983)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Claude Zidi

Writers:

Claude Zidi (screenplay)
Didier Kaminka (adaptation)

Release Date:

23 March 1983 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Aircraft Carrier | 1980s | Fiancee | Drug Trafficking | Wedding

Cast

Coluche	...	Michel Bernardin
Valérie Mairesse	...	Isabelle Parisse
Didier Kaminka	...	Le cousin Paul
Marthe Villalonga	...	La mère de Michel / Madame Bernardin
Eva Darlan	...	Carole, la doctoresse
François Perrot	...	Le patron de 'Mondial S.O.S.' / Bernardin's employer
Jean-Marie Proslier	...	Le businessman du Concorde / A Businessman
Zabou Breitman	...	Sophia, l'amie d'Isabelle (as Zabou)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Isabelle Attali	...	L'hôtesse Paris-Tunis
Baaron	...	Chef de la junte
Dominique Balzer	...	Robert
Madeleine Barbulée	...	La vieille dame Paris-Tunis / Old lady
Aline Bertrand	...	La vieille dame pavillon
Bernard Cazassus	...	Le premier clodo
Christian Charmetant	...	L'employé rigolard
André Chaumeau	...	Le vendeur de meubles
Jean Cherlian	...	Le premier flic
Akonio Dolo	...	Hissen
Michel Duchezeau	...	Le type
Pierre-François Dumeniaud
Rachid Ferrache	...	Julien
François Game	...	Le conducteur gueulard
Marcel Gassouk	...	Le voisin d'Isabelle
François Guétary
Gérard Holtz	...	Le journaliste TV
Jeffrey Joseph	...	Bronx Kid
Catherine Joubé	...	Une hôtesse
Didier Lavergne	...	Le steward
Hugues Leforestier	...	Le médecin du SAMU
Thierry Liagre	...	Le premier conducteur
Rabah Loucif	...	Rachid
Leah Lourie	...	La montagne
Ham-Chau Luong	...	Pilote japonais
Jean-Claude Martin	...	Le père de Julien / Julien's father
James McDaniel	...	Bronx Guy
Max Mégy	...	Le premier actionnaire
Daniel Milgram	...	Le responsable espagnol
Orit Mizrahi	...	Infirmière tunisienne
Joseph Niambi-Moé	...	Le préposé au parking
Jérôme Nobécourt	...	Le premier conducteur
Pascal N'Zonzi
Chantal Pommier	...	La mère de Julien
Bernard Rousselet	...	Le chef du personnel
Annie Savarin	...	Commerçante
Christian Spillemaecker	...	Le collègue de Michel
Kaddy Thiam	...	Infirmière africaine
Bernard Tixier	...	Le second actionnaire
Umban U'kset	...	Médecin-chef africain
Huguette Verne	...	Une voisine
François Viaur	...	Le responsable de la société de crédit
Caroline von Ebbe	...	Passagère Buggy
Serge Wagner	...	Conducteur de la méhari
Hélène Zidi	...	Marie

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Renn Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le bourreau des coeurs (1983)

Underwriting Love and Insurance don't mix

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Coluche, before his death in a motorcycle accident in 1986, was France's most famous clown and perhaps the most unique comic actor of his generation.

While some skits in this 1983 70's style French nonexport farce are heavy-handed, they also have a twist and avoid cheap yuks and one-liners. In the opening shots, a romantic jeep ride in the North African dunes prompts two emergency calls (one for the jeep, one for the camel) to the Paris office of Planete Assistance, a premier traveler's insurance bureau.

Michel (Coluche) works there manically solving people's problems over the phone. He is about to tie the knot with his girl friend Isabelle (Valerie Mairesse), an airline hostess. She flies all over the world, he hates to leave the office. A series of madcap mishaps involving theft or injury (as you would expect in his line of work) ensues after Michel promises Isabelle nothing will delay their marriage and she promises in turn that she's done flying.

Once this unlikely promise is made, it becomes premise and both are forced into escalating white lies to maintain the appearance of keeping their word. Their predicament mounts as Isabelle is forced to do a few more flights, while Michel is compelled to travel to New York, Tunisia, and finally Hong Kong, where they are finally reunited in the throes of a contrived and hilarious drug deal involving a 747, water taxi chases, and martial arts.

While not as intense comedically as some of his earlier efforts with director Claude Zidi (L'AILE OU LA CUISSE or INSPECTEUR LA BAVURE), this is nevertheless a must for Coluche fans and the supporting cast is superb.

The title comes from Michel's expression of feelin' on top (TEASER), or the stoned 747 pilot's exclamation (SPOILER). Available for the US market on VHS from Canada in the late '80s and again since 1997, it has not to date (2002) been released with English subtitles (I was able to order it from Francevision).