La gitane (1986)

A stuffy bank clerk has his humdrum existence turned upside-down when a free-spirited, larcenous gipsy girl falls in love with him.

Director:

Philippe de Broca

Writers:

Philippe de Broca (adaptation), Jean-Loup Hubert (scenario)

Stars:

Claude Brasseur, Valérie Kaprisky, Martin Lamotte

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claude Brasseur	...	Hubert Durieux
Valérie Kaprisky	...	Mona
Martin Lamotte	...	Le commissaire
Stéphane Audran	...	Brigitte
Clémentine Célarié	...	Elsa
Marie-Anne Chazel	...	Mlle Caprot
Jacques Legras	...	Pilu
Valérie Rojan	...	Florence
Rosine Cadoret	...	Mme Chomard
Henri Virlojeux	...	Le vieux Gitan
Lionel De Bar	...	Le décoré
Eliane Barral	...	Isabelle
Didier Briscadieu	...	Ricardo
Patrick Cartié	...	Le journaluste
Bernard Clementin	...	Le préfet

Storyline

A stuffy bank clerk has his humdrum existence turned upside-down when a free-spirited, larcenous gipsy girl falls in love with him.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | breast | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

29 January 1986 (France)

Also Known As:

A Cigana

Filming Locations:

Berges de l'Oise, Cergy, Val-d'Oise, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films A2,T. Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Suite pour Orchestre de Chamber et Piano-Jazz Trio
Written by Claude Bolling
Performed by Maurice Coignard (co-orchestration)

User Reviews

Went to see the gypsy(she had no crystal ball)

"La Gitane" is probably the worst (or at least the most hopeless) of all talented Philippe De Broca's efforts:not a single funny ,let alone witty line ,ponderous gags ,predictable development.

It would have been interesting to pit a well-respected bank executive against a defiant gypsy;the bourgeois man is harassed by women,all played by squalling harpies (only Stephane Audran manages to show some emotion in her last scene before going to greater glories in "Babette's feast" );one fine day,a gypsy steals his car ,and his life will be changed forever.

Colossal mistake :Valerie Kaprisky is completely miscast as a gypsy !Since Tony Gatlif,we have been more demanding as far as gypsies are concerned :here the character is a cute chick ,talking like a young trendy and moving like a hot top model.

We could have expected more from a clash between the posh bourgeois world and the gypsies one ,on the fringes of society: the scene when the police intervene ,on the garbage dump where the gypsies live ,is sheer rubbish itself.The "Légion D'Honneur" scene could have been a great put- down of this medal "which impresses the morons " (as Henri Jeanson would say)but De Broca (who may or may not have been awarded it) treats it cowardly.The end of the sequence ,when Brasseur carries Kaprisky in his arms ,will remind the director's old fans of the moment when Belmondo forces the nobles to give their jewels to his dead love Claudia Cardinale in the highly superior "Cartouche " ,but here ,politically correct,Kaprisky gives the earrings back to her rich owner.

One can save ,at a pinch,one good gag: Brasseur discovers that the painting the gypsy hangs on the wall to decorate his office is a Watteau she stole from the local museum.