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The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob | Year: 1973 Classification: Foreign Film - French Directed: - Gérard Oury Actors/Actresses: - Louis de Funès - Miou-Miou I wish they had more Louis de Funes DVDs I just watched the movie on DVD last night and was reminded once again why Louis de Funes was my favorite actor growing up even though I don't even speak French. I've seen plenty of his comedies, and some of his best are part of the Gendarme-series, where he plays a cop who encounters human-looking Extraterrestrials at one point. He has to throw water on them to make them rust. The DVD image is of great quality even though you may not have heard of the releasing studio before. As far as the plot, if you like screwball comedies, this is one of the best available. A Genuis Of Comedy 'I have become an actor so I can bring a smile to the children and their parents in these sad times'..so said Louis de Funes, one of the greatest comedians ever, and who is still to this day, even with the huge boom in the DVD market and the increased interest in 'international' films, largely unknown outside France and the francophone countries, even after having 145 films to his name from 1945 to 1982, a year before his death. <BR>Like Chaplin and Sellers,De Funes is one of the very rare breed of comedians who had a distinct talent and total dedication to his craft, and who knew how to make people laugh,not through the written script only but also through his interpretations and character. All three giants of comedy have had such a complex and interesting personalities, both on and off screen, that always added another dimension and depth to their acting.<BR>To watch any De Funes film is to be totally captivated by a unique style that none of his contemporaries in French and world cinema were able to come near: The expressions on his face and his very French theatrical,dramatic and sometimes over the top body language is legendary, so is his ability to dominate every scene without overshadowing his co stars,something not very easily achieved!<BR>The characters he played over the years, especially in his later films post 60s remind me somehow of Wayne Mitchell's Arthur in Brit 70s sitcom Till Death Do us Part: nasty, sexist,racist, and bitter..But like Mitchell, his is a lone voice that is portrayed in such a way as to make it one that belongs to a minority older generation not quite in tune with the changes the world has seen,and as such is never quite offensive or threatening but totally hilarious.<BR>In Adventures of Rabbi Jacob, one of his most successful films (along with such classics like Le Corniaud, La Grande Vadrouille, La Zizanie, Oscar, L'Aile ou la Cuisse and others), he impersonates a rabbi, along with an Algerian fugitive, running away from assassins, and goes to New York and is mistaken for a very important rabbi.<BR>In this film as in other De Funes movies, he is thrown in a adventure by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is forced to face his prejudices head on, in this case against both Jews and Arabs, and becomes a different man as a result.<BR>It is a very funny film in the De Funes unique tradition, and although the script might be uneven at times, it is his performance that makes up for any flaws: a twitch of a nose, or some incomprehensible mumblings transforms the scene totally!<BR>Louis De Funes is an actor that should at last get his dues in the US and UK and the wide recognition he deserves,(by releasing his most famous films on DVD and soon) for denying large number of viewers of his comedies is depriving cinema lovers of a true genuis with a great personality and undeniable class. Nice job on the dvd, Facets!! The madcap slapstick adventure won't appeal to everyone, but there is much that is original and funny. I must say, though, to those reviewers who have been whining about the DVD, that you're way off base. This is a 1973 film, remember, that has a lovely widescreen non-anamorphic DVD transfer with a rich, accurate color palette and excellent sharpness throughout. It is clearly NOT from a VHS original, and is one of the better looking 1970's DVD's you will see. Thirty years after the fact, with a film that will not sell a million copies, you cannot complain about the lack of special features. Thanks, Facets, for giving us a clear look at a forgotten classic! Buy The Mad Adventures Of Rabbi Jacob at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Mad Adventures Of Rabbi Jacob Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Mad Adventures Of Rabbi Jacob This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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