French Films Trivia

1. In 1980, Louis de Funès finally made a movie he yearned to do for several years. In which movie did he star as Harpagon?

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: L'avare

"L'avare" ("The Miser") is based upon a theatre play by Molière who was, in his turn, inspired by the Latin comedy "Aulularia" by the Roman poet Plautus. The story is about Harpagon, a notorious hard-fisted widower with two children: his son Cleante and his daughter Elise. When Harpagon announces his intent to remarry to Marianne, he is unaware of the fact that she is Cleante's beloved. Elise is in love with Harpagon's servant Valère, but Harpagon would like to marry her to the wealthy Anselme. Louis de Funès did not only take the title role in this comedy, but he also collaborated to the script and directed the movie (together with Jean Girault). "Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob" (1973, known in English-speaking countries as "The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob") stars Louis de Funès as François Pivert, a prejudiced industrial who has to pose as a Jewish rabbi to escape from the Arab killer Colonel Farès. One of the most hilarious scenes is a fight in bubble gum factory, where the guns of Farès and his men only produce green gum instead of bullets. "La grande vadrouille" (1966) was brought to the US market under the title "Don't Look Now - We're Being Shot At". In this movie, Louis de Funès stars as Stanislas Lefort, conductor of the Paris Opera in 1942 or 1943. Bourvil plays the role of house painter Augustin Bouvet. When a British airplane is shot down over Paris, Lefort and Bouvet are forced to help the British airmen to escape to Vichy France. "Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez" (1964) was the first of a series of six movies starring Louis de Funès as the sergeant of the gendarmerie of Saint-Tropez. One of the ongoing police actions is trying to capture a group of nudist swimmers.

From Quiz Great French Directors

Answer: Francois Truffaut

"The 400 Blows" was a sensation when it was first released, breaking new ground cinematically and winning international praise and awards. Truffaut went on to direct a number of films which today are recognized among the great classics of French Cinema, including "Tirez Sur Le Pianiste", "Jules et Jim", "La Nuit Americaine" and "Le Dernier Metro".

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Francois Truffaut

The first film of the series - and Truffaut's first feature film - was "The 400 Blows", which became a worldwide hit winning praise (and awards) wherever it was shown. The films were semi autobiographical, and all starred Jean-Pierre Leaud as Antoine Doinel, following his life from his early teens to his early 30s. (Which reminds me, they're due for a rewatch.)

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: Le passe-muraille

Bourvil played in all these movies, mostly as a nice simpleton (his usual kind of role, see also the movies he made with Louis de Funès). In "Le passe-muraille", Bourvil plays Léon Dutilleul, a civil servant who falls in love with the hotel thief Susan. To impress her, he uses his talent of walking straight through solid brick walls in order to steal various objects. Once arrested, he drives his guards crazy by constantly walking in and out his cell. In "Le trou normand" (1952), Bourvil's character Hippolyte Lemoine inherits a hotel in Normandy, but he can only keep it by passing an exam. "Le bossu" (1959) is a variation on the theme of "The Hunchback of the Notre-Dame". In "Les culottes rouges" (1962) Bourvil plays a French prisoner of war during the Second World War. Although he is quite satisfied in the POW Camp, he does escape together with Antoine Rossi (played by Laurent Terzieff), the notorious escapist who has been marked with red pants for several escape plans. Most English speaking movie buffs will know Bourvil for his minor role in "The Longest Day", as the Mayor of Coleville-sur-Mer who welcomes the invading troops. He intends to share a bottle of champagne with them, but as they move on, he ends up finishing the bottle all by himself.

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: Fernandel

Fernand Cotandin (1903-1971) was a French actor and singer. He started his acting career in 1930 in the short movie "La meilleure bobonne" and went on with over 150 productions (movies, TV series and the like). Between 1952 and 1965, he starred as Don Camillo in five feature-length movies about a small village in Lombardy, where after the Second World War a notorious communist is elected as Mayor. Don Camillo, the village priest, is politically the most fierce opponent of Mayor Peppone (a role of Gino Cervi), but privately they could well live together. Other notable roles of Fernandel include the prisoner of war in "La vache et le prisonnier" (1959), and Antonin in "Heureux qui comme Ulysse" (1970), a road movie where Antonin (a farmhand) tries to save his favourite horse Ulysse from a career in bullfighting. The red herrings were no French people. Cantinflas (born Mario Moreno, 1911-1993) was a Mexican actor, who played the valet Passepartout in "Around the World in 80 Days" (1956). Sting (Gordon Sumner, born 1951) is a British singer-songwriter. He also appeared in more than 10 movies, including "Quadrophenia" (1979) and "Zoolander 2" (2016). Topol (born Chaim Topol in 1935) is an Israeli actor best known for his role as Tevye in "Anatevka" (1971), the movie version of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof".

From Quiz Great French Directors

Answer: Jacques Demy

Jacques Demy was not a prolific director. His first feature film was "Lola", made as a homage to the great Hollywood musicals, as was "Les Demoiselles de Rochefort". Today he's best remembered for those, as well as the beautiful "Parapluies de Cherbourg". His collaborator on these films was composer Michel Legrand. Demy was married to director Agnes Varda, herself a leading light of the New Wave.

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Gerard Philipe

Set in 18th Century France, Fanfan joins King Louis 15th's army in order to avoid being forced into marriage. He's conned into joining by Adeline, the recruiting officer's daughter, who poses as a fortune teller and who tells Fanfan that he is destined to marry the king's daughter. Christian-Jacque won the Best Director award at Cannes, and the film was a smash hit. Gerard Philipe was one of France's most popular and respected actors, and one of the very few to have been memorialized on a stamp following his tragically early death from liver disease.

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: Dany Boon

Dany Boon was born as Daniel Hamidou in 1966. He started his acting career in 1995 with a small role in the biopic "Le grand blanc de Lambarene". "Bienvenu chez les Ch'tis" tells the story of a post officer (named Philippe) who is caught swindling, and relocated to a small village in the North of France. Philippe expects that the small village where he will have to work, is filled with none other than drunken good-for-nothings who gibber a quite incomprehensible dialect. And even worse, Philippe (used to working in the Provence) thinks that it rains more than 360 days a year on his new workpost. Gérard Oury (1919-2006) directed several successful French comedies starring Louis de Funès. Jean Girault (1924-1982) is best known for the six movies where Louis de Funès incorporates the gendarme form Saint-Tropez. Eduard Molinaro (1928-2013) was another director of French comedies, best known for "La Cage aux Folles" (1978).

From Quiz Great French Directors

Answer: Le Samourai

"Le Samourai" was inspired by the 1942 film "This Gun For Hire", which was directed by Frank Tuttle and starred Alan Ladd as the hit man. "Le Doulos" starred Jean-Paul Belmondo as an informer. "Le Cercle Rouge" was a heist film which starred Delon, Yves Montand and Gian Maria Volonte. "L'armee des Ombres" ("Army Of Shadows") was a film about the World War II French Resistance, and starred Paul Meurisse, Lino Ventura and Simone Signoret. All four films were directed by Melville.

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Anton Walbrook

A prostitute picks up a soldier, who then has a brief affair with a housemaid who seduces her employers' son, who has a liaison with a married woman whose husband has an affair with a young cocotte who becomes involved with a poet who is also having an affair with an actress who dallies with a young nobleman who then picks up the prostitute - and so the story comes full circle. The film is witty, elegant and stylish, with a cast of some of French Cinema's greats. Anton Walbrook was born in Austria, and had a long and distinguished career in international film. Today, apart from "La Ronde", he is best known for "The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp", "The Red Shoes" and the original version of "Gaslight", in the role played by Charles Boyer in the Hollywood remake.

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: Gerard Depardieu

"These Romans are crazy" is of course the recurring remark by Obelix, Asterix' best friend. Gerard Depardieu (born 1948) was cast as Obelix in the four live-action movies made between 2002 and 2012, and he was the only actor in a main role who did appear in these four movies. "Astérix et Obélix contre César" (1999) was the first live-action movie based upon the "Asterix" comic strips. The title roles were for Christian Clavier (Asterix), Gérard Depardieu (Obelix) and Gottfried John (Julius Caesar). Director of this movie based upon several storylines was Claude Zidi. In 2002 "Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre" hit the theatres. Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu played their respective roles, Alain Chabat filled the role of Julius Caesar and Monica Belluci starred as Cleopatra. The third movie "Astérix aux jeux olympiques" had its premiere in 2008. Gérard Depardieu played Obelix, while Clovis Cornillac took the role of Asterix. Alain Delon premiered as Caesar, and Benoit Poelvoorde was content with the minor role of Brutus. In 2012 Depardieu played Obelix once more in "Astérix & Obélix: Au service de sa Majesté". Edouard Baer played Astérix and Fabrice Luchini filled the role of Julius Caesar.

From Quiz Great French Directors

Answer: L'amour En Fuite

The Antoine Doinel series of films by Francois Truffaut began with "The 400 Blows". There were five films in the series, although the second, "Antoine Et Collette", was not a feature film but a segment of a compendium film called "Love At 20". The other three in order were "Baisers Voles" ("Stolen Kisses"), "Domicile Conjugal" ("Bed and Board") and "L'amour En Fuite" ("Love On The Run"). All of the films starred Jean-Pierre Leaud as Antoine Doinel.

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Brigitte Bardot

The film was Vadim's directorial debut, and it broke box office records both in France and abroad. The term "sex kitten" was coined to describe Bardot's character. Although it was not Bardot's first film - she had, for instance, co-starred with Dirk Bogarde in the British comedy "Doctor At Sea" - this really was the film which gained her international notice.

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: La 7e compagnie

The full title of the movie is "Mais où est donc passée la septième compagnie?". For the English speaking market, the title was translated to "Now Where Did the Seventh Company Get to?". The situation is sketched as follows: the French general headquarters have lost all communication with the 7th Company. Apparently three men of this army unit have sought refuge behind the German army lines: sergeant Chaudard (played by Pierre Mondy) and privates Pitivier (role by Jean Lefebvre) and Tassin (Aldo Maccione). They stumble upon the location where the rest of their company is held prisoner, and not hindered by too bright spirits they succeed in liberating their comrades in arms. In 1975 a sequel was made with the title "On a retrouvé la 7e compagnie" ("The Seventh Company Has Been Found") with almost the same main cast and crew. Only Aldo Maccione was replaced by Henri Guybet. A third instalment followed in 1977: "La 7e compagnie au clair de lune" (« The Seventh Company Outdoors »), in which they reinforce the French resistance groups in the first days of June 1944. Once again, Robert Lamoureux directed, and Jean Lefebvre, Pierre Mondy and Henri Guybet played the main roles. L'armée rouge is Frecnh for the Red Army, which did not operate on French soil. La division Tête de mort is the French translation for one of the most frightening divisions of the Waffen SS: Division Totenkopf. Le trentième corps is the French translation for XXX Corps, the army corps lead by the British lieutenant-general Brian Horrocks from April 4th, 1944 onwards.

From Quiz Great French Directors

Answer: Marcel Carne

Directed by Marcel Carne, and starring Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Marcel Herrand, Pierre Renoir and Maria Casares, "Les Enfants du Paradis" ("Children Of Paradise") is set in the theatrical world of 19th Century Paris. It was made under appalling conditions during the Nazi occupation of France, but you'd never know it. The screenplay was by Carne's long time collaborator Jacques Prevert. Marcel Carne was one of the key figures in the poetic realism movement. Apart from "Les Enfants du Paradis" he is best known for "Les Visiteurs du Soir", "Le Jour Se Leve" and "Le Quai des Brumes".

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Belle De Jour

The film is a stunningly erotic surrealist masterpiece, which blurs the boundaries between fantasy and reality. Catherine Deneuve is breathtaking. She had also starred in Bunuel's "Tristana".

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: He wears one black shoe.

The title of this spy spoof gives the answer: "Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire" ("The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe"). The movie starts with Colonel Toulouse, head of the French espionage service (role by Jean Rochefort) explaining to his second in command that he suspects one or more moles have entered the secret service. To get evidence against these would-be traitors, Toulouse has spread the rumour that one of his best double agents will arrive at the airport shortly. Colonel Toulouse asks of his aide Perrache to pick anyone - the more inconspicuous, the better. Perrache chooses the violinist François Perrin (a brilliant role of Pierre Richard), because he arrives at Orly wearing one black and one brown shoe. In the ensuing adventures, most of the moles shoot each other, and François Perrin doesn't notice anything odd... Two years later, a sequel was made ("Le retour du grand blond") with roughly the same cast and crew. The red herrings refer to other movies. The Jewish rabbi is one of the main characters in "Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob" (1973). The iron teeth refer to Jaws, the villain in the "James Bond" movies "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) and "Moonraker" (1979). The waitress at the Munich Oktoberfest is the disguise of one of the hit men hired to kill Inspector Clouseau in "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" (1976).

From Quiz Great French Directors

Answer: Jacques Tati

M. Hulot made his first appearance in the charming "M. Hulot's Holiday", and also featured in "Mon Oncle", "Playtime" and Traffic". Tati was a perfectionist, and spent considerable time over each of his films - years in some cases - which probably explains why he completed only five feature films during his career. His debut feature was "Jour de Fete", which did not feature M. Hulot.

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Alain Delon

Alain Delon was only 24 when he played the role of Tom Ripley. There are many, myself included, who think that "Plein Soleil" is superior to Anthony Minghella's film of the novel. Delon went on to star in some of the greatest films of the '50s and '60s, including "Borsalino", "Le Cercle Rouge", "Le Samourai", "Rocco and His Brothers" and "The Leopard".

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: Les sous-doués

"Les sous-doués" (in Canada brought under the title "Les sous-doués passent leur bac") was directed by Claude Zidi, one of the major French directors of comedies. Daniel Auteuil plays Bébel, the leader of a bunch good-for-nothings preparing to have fun all day and night long. Exams? Who worries about those? Failing gives way to more fun! (That's how these "under-gifted" talk, it's not my personal opinion.) But then one of the gang decides to place a false bomb, and by chance it is swapped with a real terrorist bomb. Although there are no casualties, the school's director (role by Maria Pacome) and the police commissioner (Michel Galabru) decide to put the gang for an ultimatum: either they pass their exams in fifteen days, or they will be sent off to jail. Two years later, the same cast and crew made a sequel entitled "Les sous-doués en vacances". "Les bronzés" is a 1978 comedy about a group of tourists on an exotic island, hoping to enjoy sea, sun and ... (the last word omitted because this is a family site). "Le père Noel est une ordure" (1982) portrays Santa Claus as a neurotic up to no good. « Papy fait de la résistance » (1983) starring Christian Clavier and Michel Galabru makes fun of the French resistance, in introducing a family of musicians who invent new means to get rid of the German occupants.

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Le Corbeau

Made during the Nazi occupation of France, and hugely controversial, "Le Corbeau" was condemned by both the French Resistance and also the Nazi occupying forces. It was banned for a number of years and was not widely shown until after the war when it received international acclaim. Today it remains a powerful and disturbing film. The other three films were also directed by Clouzot. Although not as prolific as Hitchcock, many people rate Clouzot as his equal in terms of being a master of suspense.

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: Jacques Tati

"Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot" (1953) is a movie with very few dialogs. A complete plot is missing, it consists of several unrelated scenes starring Monsieur Hulot (a naïve but sympathetic character, who is on holiday for the first time in his life). Jacques Tati (born Tatischeff, 1907-1982) was the inventor and incarnation of Monsieur Hulot. He would play the role a few times more: in "Mon Oncle" (1958), which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Movie; in "Play Time" (1967); and in "Traffic" (1970). The red herrings are not French at all. Jerry Lewis (1926-2017) was an American, who directed the movie "The Bellboy" (1960) that does recall sometimes Tati's style. Rowan Atkinson (born 1955) is known for the characters of Mr. Bean and Blackadder. In 2007 Rowan Atkinson starred in "Mr. Bean's Holiday", very similar in style and theme to "Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot". Peter Sellers (1925-1980) is best known for his role as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in the "Pink Panther" movie series. Some of the gags in these movies do remind of Monsieur Hulot.

From Quiz Great French Directors

Answer: Claude Chabrol

Claude Chabrol is credited with starting the French New Wave. He made 57 films, beginning in 1958 with "Le Beau Serge" and worked right up to his death in 2010. He was a master of the mystery genre and is often referred to as 'The French Hitchcock'. His films include "Le Boucher", "Les Noces Rouges", "Juste Avant la Nuit", "Que La Bete Meure" and "Le Cri du Hibou". He was married at one time to the actress Stephane Audran.

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Jour De Fete

Jacques Tati plays a small town postman who attempts to modernize delivery after seeing a film about the American postal system. It's really just a series of delightful sight gags built around the town's Bastille Day celebrations, and containing affectionate portraits of the inhabitants. Tati, being somewhat of a perfectionist, spent considerable time on his films, and made only five.

From Quiz French Comedy

Answer: Les Visiteurs

"Les visiteurs" ("The Visitors") was directed by Jean-Marie Poiré. Christian Clavier plays Jacquouille le Fripouille, a squire serving count Godefroy de Papincourt (played by Jean Reno). Drinking a potion brewed by a senile alchemist, magically transports Jacquouille and Godefroy to the twentieth century. Now they have to figure out how to get back... In 1998 a sequel was made: "Les Couloirs du Temps" ("The Corridors of Time"), in which Godefroy goes back to the 20th Century in order to retrieve some valuable gems left behind. The third instalment of this series was made in 2016: "Les Visiteurs - La Révolution", in which Godefroy and Jacquouille are stranded in Paris in 1793. In between, Clavier and Reno also reprised their roles in an American remake of the first movie, "The Visitors" (2001). The red herrings are other movies inspired by time travel. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949) starred Bing Crosby as a 1912 mechanic who accidentally turns up in Britain about 528. This movie was remade in 1989 with Keshia Knight-Pulham as the time traveller. "Back to the Future" (1985) tells about Marty McFly, who travels back to 1955 and has to persuade his father to marry his mother (otherwise Marty will not be born). The main roles are played by Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly) and Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett Brown, inventor of the time traveling car). "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989) stars Alex Winter (Bill) and Keanu Reeves (Ted), two high school students with hopeless results in history class - until Rufus (played by George Carlin) pops up. Rufus was born sometime in the future, and he takes Bill and Ted on a real history roller coaster with the aid of a time machine.

From Quiz French With(out) Tears

Answer: Alain Resnais

Although it's not an easy watch - more than one viewing is certainly necessary to fully come to grips with its complexities of plot and structure - "Hiroshima Mon Amour" remains today one of the landmark films of the French New Wave. The director, Alain Resnais, is best known for "Night And Fog", a documentary short from the late '50s, and "Last Year At Marienbad" and "La Guerre Est Finie" from the 1960s.

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