ElMaruecan82
Whatever you have to say against the "The Troops Gets Marriad" you got to give it the credit for one merit: it didn't duplicate the same mistakes than the first sequel set in New York, and that includes the setting.It's the first film in St Tropez four years after the one that launched the career of Louis de Funès. Four years is a lot, it means ten movies and maybe fifty millions of viewers, De Funès was the most popular star and seeing him in his gendarme uniform again had in 1968 a sort of back-to-the-roots feeling. The previous "Troops in New York" had severely overused his shtick at the expense of the six comedic talents surrounding him. But after several minutes watching him looking for his daughter, the formula got rapidly tiresome.This time, the troop is back in its territory and there's just something in the performances that make you feel the actors are having fun being in good old Saint Tropez, each of the six other players is given a substantial part and even Galabru is more than a simple foil to De Funès' tantrums, it's just as if there was some maturity in the writing, something that took in consideration De Funes' previous successes, the best movies never relied totally on his performances and talent, no matter how good he was. And yes, "The Troops Gets Married" can't be labeled as the De Funes show, which is a good thing.The film opens with the vacation rush (I was surprised that the English term was used at that time) with a sort of incognito assignment consisting on apprehending the vacationers who feel like the road belongs to them, the gendarmes all disguise as peaceful tourists and hitchhikers and the situations lead to a series of amusing gags, but even when they don't inspire belly laughs, they lead up to one of the greatest moment of the series, the first meeting between Ludovic Cruchot and the rich widow Josepha, played by Claude Gensac. There are a few pivotal movies in De Funès' career, this is one of them.The moment's iconic value goes beyond the simple introduction of Josepha. Claude Gensac, who passed away on Decembrer 2016, has starred in ten De Funes' movies. In seven of them, she was his wife and that includes four of the 'troops' movie. There has always been in Gensac an illuminating smile, an optimism that played like the perfect counterpart to De Funès' excitability, she was the sweet and joyful yin to his tempestuous and grumbling yang. When she gets in the screen, you almost forget about the daughter and you're glad that the Troops' series stop relying on the youth- oriented tropes. And what makes this film so memorable is that it is the only time where we see a love- at-first-sight moment between the two actors, when we can enjoy the romance growing between each of them, seeing the hot-tempered Cruchot suddenly disarmed by the sweet Josepha. It's actually one of the rare if not the unique instance where you can see De Funès in love, which for the first time gives him an excuse to tone down his usual mimics and let the other characters play for the jokes, even his daughter becomes the clown for one moment before she ends up getting along with Josepha.De Funès wasn't exactly the romantic type and always refused to play the part of the cheating husband, but there was just the right chemistry with Gensac, even his wife Jeanne De Funès approved. And the film manages to translate their genuine chemistry into one of the most memorable gags of French comedy, the electric shock whenever Cruchot kisses Josepha's hand or when their heads accidentally collide during a friendly tea party. This thunderbolt moment is the film stealing the thunder of the first opus, outshining its humor with its heart, it is played a lot but never overplayed like a great running gag. It's also one of my first memories of De Funès.If the film centers on the new relationship, it also enriches the small rivalry between Adjutant Gerber and Cruchot, providing a nice middle-act subplot where for some fifteen minutes, Cruchot is promoted and manages to outrank Gerber, when Cruchot makes his entrance as the new superior is again a great moment for laughs. The scene allows De Funès to replay his best part, the guy with a grandstanding and patronizing attitude but who inevitably cowers down when things back to normal. For the sake of continuity, Gerber becomes the chief again (they could have kept it longer but never mind) after the interlude provided one of the funniest sequence of the series, so the contrived aspect is excused anyway.So I enjoyed "The Troops Gets Married" overall, the film doesn't break many grounds, there's not much of a plot and the late kidnapping is just an opportunity to meet again the smiling crazy driving Sister Clotilde (and this time, she's driving on a side-car). And the film ends with the perfect happy note, the marriage between Cruchot and Josepha and a funny punchline involving a funny double entendre between Cruchot and Geber. The score by Raymond Lefevre is a good work and the film is nice and enjoyable family entertainment. It is possibly the best sequel of the series, if not the most enjoyable.
languedoc-586-836028
Not 8 stars as classic-film-status-8-stars
But 8 stars as a De Funès at the very top of his game in a Gendarme series film, also featuring none other than Michel Galabru as Adjutant CHEF Gerber, Geneviève Grad as De Funès' daughter Nicole Cruchot, and last but not least, Claude Gensac as Josépha, the Colonel's widow.It is so sad that apparently many De Funès fans, or De Funès fans-to-be, from the USA do not seem to even have access to this sunny Mediterranean 60s gem, a chock full of belly laughs and fine French comical humor! This is for me the very best of the series (yes, which does include some mediocre entries). Taking for granted that there will be car chases, one or two police helicopter flights and a speeding wheeled nun saving the day, and that the subaltern Gendarmes will basically behave like idiots, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with the rest here! Galabru always steals the screen with his inimitable balance of childlike gullibility and poised, protocolar dignity or stateliness, even being well-read to a point that was not so out-of-place or unrealistic for an officer of his rank in those days... Gensac is as always the epitome of both naivety and elegance, here as Maréchal Cruchot's new flame. Gensac was the perfect female screen companion to De Funès, and if she was available for shooting, DeFunès would not have any other partner. The latter himself gives his all through his own maniacal character, typically obsessed with power and advancement. But he also gets to semi-improvise scenes of complete emotional distress and vulnerability, and also a bit of temporary delirium due to a scuba exercise having gone wrong. And this is where he gets me with his comical genius: when struck with panic and stuttering quasi-logical utterances, or inventing (delirium scene upon waking up from scuba accident) dream-like nonsense
This is an aspect of his comic brilliance that goes into more intellectual realms and beyond the grimacing maniac he is too often reduced to.In many scenes, the direction is also more dexterous and clever than in several other "Gendarmes".As an aside, the fans of Mr. Bean's old TV show will immediately recognize in the promotion examination scene of this film the direct inspiration of the math exam session, Act one, from Bean's very first episode
almost verbatim!
ma-cortes
Again Ludovic Cruchot(Funes) and the Marichal remaining(Guy Grosso,Michael Modo,Christian Martin and Jean Lefevre), this time the chief Adjuntant Jerome(Michael Galabru) assign them impersonate ordinaries civilians to chase lawbreakers drivers,transgressors and delinquents. Meanwhile Ludovic falls in love with a rich widow named Josefa(Claude Gensac)surging an electrifying romance.Then Cruchot goes to a dance academy practicing an amusing dancing along with a thief.Cruchot takes Josefa to Disco-music called Byblos and happen various incidents in a 'Vaudeville' style. There his feisty daughter Nicole(Genenieve Grad) impersonating a girlfriend and later she embodies a little girl facing to Josefa. Later Cruchot presents to exams for superior degree along with Ajuntant Jerome and Ludovic is promoted by an error as chief of the Gendarmerie Nationale. When is aware the true, Ludovic turning into midget.Exciting final pursuit including a helicopter and where Louis De Funes driving in bounds and leaping until a ship. Of course also appears the ordinary nun, this time driving rapidly a sidecar and Ludovic as co-pilot , replacing the habitual Citroen.It's an entertaining story and very amusing tale with the farceur Louis De Funes.Packs agreeable comedy, tongue in check, lively situations abound, crazy humor and too much fun. This time is the first intervenes Claude Gensac who collaborated with Funes in ten movies, often acting his role's spouse, though some episode is substituted by Maria Mauban. The argument is similar to previous and successive entries adding a brief intrigue about the kidnapping Josefa by a criminal and the problems emerge. Colorful local cinematography under Saint Tropez bright sun by usual Marcel Crignon. Enjoyable soundtrack by Raymond Lefevre, however this time isn't the usual ending parade , being substituted by musical background of the just married .This co-production Paris-Rome is professionally realized by customary director Jean Girault.The flick is a Funes recital, if you like Funes'nutty acting you'll like this one, because he does intense mocking faces,grimaces, moving in disguise and lots of mimic gesticulation.It's followed by Gendarme in New York, Gendarme and creatures of outer space and Gendarme and the Gendarmettes.
Boombass
A delicious movie, if you don't like to think too much when watching. Set in the beautiful background of late '60s St. Tropez, we see Louis de Funes and his companions doing all kinds of comic stuff in a slapstick kind of way. Don't forget the beautiful Genevieve Grad...True feelgood-movie style !!!