Un de la légion

19361936
1h 31m

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

YOUR RATING

Adventure

Comedy

Fernand Espitalion is miserable as totally whipped husband of a dragon 'passed on' -like cloths- by his late cousin. She often leaves him waiting outside like a dog when she does business. W... Read allFernand Espitalion is miserable as totally whipped husband of a dragon 'passed on' -like cloths- by his late cousin. She often leaves him waiting outside like a dog when she does business. While she sees a notary about an inheritance, he's seduced to a bar by a shady man. The rog... Read allFernand Espitalion is miserable as totally whipped husband of a dragon 'passed on' -like cloths- by his late cousin. She often leaves him waiting outside like a dog when she does business. While she sees a notary about an inheritance, he's seduced to a bar by a shady man. The rogue gets Fernand drunk, knocks him out and switches costumes and papers. He's now Robert Du... Read all

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- Christian-Jaque
Writers
- J.D. Newsom(novel)
- Paul Fékété(scenario)
Stars

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Fernand Espitalion is miserable as totally whipped husband of a dragon 'passed on' -like cloths- by his late cousin. She often leaves him waiting outside like a dog when she does business. While she sees a notary about an inheritance, he's seduced to a bar by a shady man. The rogue gets Fernand drunk, knocks him out and switches costumes and papers. He's now Robert Durand, a voluntary Foreign legion recruit. After failed attempts to explain, he tastes military life and finds it less disciplined and more enjoyable then, marriage. But will that last when his wife tracks him and his unit is sent to action in tribal Algeria? —KGF Vissers

undressing

underwear

scolding

medical examination

male bonding

3 more

Genres
- Adventure
- Comedy
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

User reviews2

Review

Top review

7/10

From the frying pan into the fire....

...or Goofy joins the legion (reluctantly).

One of Christian-Jaque's funniest comedies,but an odd one;towards the ending,and for a short while ,the comedy turns into a drama ,something which was unheard of in the French thirties.

When the film begins,we are so far from the Legion Etrangere that we wonder how the hero will become one of these brave warriors.On a train ,he explains to people that he travels with his cousin who is no more his cousin cause he married her.They come to Marseille from Canada (where "when you have a wee-wee ,beware! it's so cold there that you might be pinned down to the ground ,the liquid freezes!") The cousin treats her husband like a little child,seeing to everything : he must not drink alcohol,he must not eat too much meat,he must wait for her when she visits her notary (sollicitor) to take possession of a rich heritage (the reason for the Atlantic crossing).

What about the Legion Etrangere?I shall now come to it.A deserter needs a sucker to replace him.So he takes the poor lad to a bistro where he gets drunk.When he awakes,he is on a ship bound for Sidi Bel Abbès. First reluctantly,our hero is forced to become a legionnaire.But are the officers worse than his less-than-attractive missus?That's the question.

Meanwhile,in Europa,the lady is still searching ,she pulls out all the stops....

In the barracks,now,our hero is not afraid of the Legion anymore.Sooner or later ,she will find him...

A marvelous Fernandel,in a tailor-made part.In the grand tradition of the movies where the courageous soldiers fight the "salopards" (=b....;that is to say : the Arabs)as in such works as Ford's "lost patrol" or Duvivier's "la Bandera" ,we never see the enemy.Anyway,in his welcome speech,the officer warns his men: "We have built bridges,we've opened up roads,we've cleared;before us ,there was no civilization:only brigandage and plundering".

The story is so far-fetched it sometimes becomes sublime.Vive Fernandel!

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