Les rois mages (2001)

Through a quirk in the space time continuun the three magi (the director Didier Bourdon as Balthazar, Bernard Campan as Melchior, and Pascal Legitimus as Gaspard) find themselves in various... See full synopsis »

Directors:

Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan

Writers:

Didier Bourdon (scenario and dialogue), Bernard Campan (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, Pascal Légitimus

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Didier Bourdon	...	Balthazar
Bernard Campan	...	Melchior
Pascal Légitimus	...	Gaspard
Virginie de Clausade	...	Macha
Walid Afkir	...	Jo
Nathalie Roussel	...	La mère de Macha
Claude Brosset	...	Hoeder
Christophe Hémon	...	Guillaume
Colette Maire	...	La concierge de Macha
Jacques Décombe	...	Le psychiatre
Thupten Phuntsok	...	Le moine tibétain
Vincent Schmitt	...	Le "copain"
Marie-Pierre Guérin	...	La responsable du groupe
Marina Tomé	...	Première douanière française
Corinne Debeaux	...	L'hôtesse de l'air

Storyline

Through a quirk in the space time continuun the three magi (the director Didier Bourdon as Balthazar, Bernard Campan as Melchior, and Pascal Legitimus as Gaspard) find themselves in various parts of the modern world in their quest for the christ child. Their paths merge in Paris. On their quest they touch people's lives where their reactions to values and technology give rise to much humour. Their identity is guessed by a canny marketer who recognises their commercial potential, takes advantage of their naivette, and ruthlessly exploits them. They become instant celebrities, but soon become jaded and disillusioned. They opt out, resuming their quest with a reluctant assistant Macha (Virginie de Clausade),who has problems of her own. Eventually they return to their own era.

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Plot Keywords:

paris france | time travel | three wise men | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

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Did You Know?

Connections

References Dallas (1978)

User Reviews

a lacklustre comeback from "the Inconnus" but an entertaining comedy

In the French movie "the three brothers" (1995), one of the characters says to the three members of the Inconnus: "Eh!... Hurry up the Three Kings or it will cool down!" It is to believe that this cue firmly fixed in their minds and gave them the idea to shot a movie.

"The Three Kings" constitutes the Inconnus' first collective opus since "the three brothers" ("le pari" (1997) and "l'extra-terrestre" (2000) were made by two of them) and because it is a comedy, they went straight to the point to make their public laugh. Indeed and very simply, the comic emanates from the dialogs. Besides, either it is a movie or a sketch, dialogs made the Inconnus' success. Here, comical effects are created by the gap between the noble and archaic dialogs pronounced by the Three Kings and people's incredulous reactions who meet them and who of course consider them as fools.

As a result, this comical device is easy but rather efficient and I would add monotonous. Indeed, this is nearly the sole one used during the whole movie and it makes it a little monotonous. There aren't many gags. Furthermore, by watching this zany story, it is difficult not to think about "the visitors" (1993), the famous French film.

Then, the story remains obscure on certain points, among this one: how do the Three Kings manage to travel through the time? A rational explanation would have been apposite.

"the Three Kings" remains a funny comedy in spite of its faults. The Inconnus' fans should find something in it.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

12 December 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

The Three Kings

Filming Locations:

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,702,020

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renn Productions, Productions Paul Lederman, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color