If I am in the right mood this will be the funniest movie I have ever seen. If I'm not in the right mood this will be a movie with some of the funniest moments in screen history.
This is quite honestly one of my most favorite, most joyous films I know.
The story of this film in my life goes back to when it was first shown in the US. The commercials hooked my brothers and me and we went off to see the film. We loved it and we saw it several times in re-release. The images were burned in our heads, the bubble gum factory, the upside car on the boat, the motorcycle chase... they were talked about but the film mostly remained in our minds.
When we got cable the film played once maybe twice, but no more. We would watch the local revival houses and art theaters and hope that maybe perhaps they would rerun the film...and they did...once. We went hoping it would hold up and amazingly it did.
Home video was no help. Mostly the film could be had in expensive, and for me unplayable PAL tapes. It wasn't until the advent of DVD that I could at last see the film when ever I wanted.
Its been an almost thirty year relationship and its brought me joy every time I've seen the film.
The plot of the film is simple. Rabbi Jacob travels to France from Brooklyn for a family function. At the same time Louise de Funes, playing as bigoted an individual as you can imagine, ends up hooked up with a wanted Arab who is being hunted by some bad guys. Things go even more wrong (if that possible in a film where highlights are a sequence in a bubble gum factory and a dance number) and de Funes is forced to impersonate the Rabbi.
Its hysterical.
I have never not laughed at this film, usually to the point of being doubled over in pain.
One of the things I really like about this film is that ultimately the film is not only funny, but life affirming. Yes we are all different, but we are all the same. Yes there are terrible people out there but at the same time some times some of them can change. Its a wonderful film.
And its funny. I don't want the thought that this film has a message deter you from seeing it because, lets face it the laughs are more important.
One of my favorite films.
Currently out on DVD.
(I want to say that there were a couple of screen grabs I wanted to use but none of them would have meant anything unless you saw the film so I went with the picture above instead)
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