Delusions of Grandeur (1971)

I've seen many comedies with Luis De Funes and have been his fan as long as I can remember. His participation in a movie promises good time, plenty of physical comedy, funny mess of grandiose proportions and up roaring laughs. He was "The man with the forty faces per minute", the little volcano or small but powerful dynamo machine whose energy could supply electricity to a town of the average size , whose hilarious hyperactivity, perfect for a comic ever-changing face, and the ego of gigantic size in such miniature frame always produced a highly comic effect. All his trademarks are in full display in the updated version of the tragedy by Victor Hugo Ruy Blas, La folie des grandeurs (1971) or Delusions of Grandeur. Ruy Blas has been adapted to the screen several times including 1948 film with Jean Mairet and 2002 version with Gerard Depardieu. Oury's film formally follows the Hugo's story but with De Funes in the cast, you would not expect it to be a serious political drama, and you will be absolutely right. The film takes place in 17th century Spain and centers around a practical joke played on the queen of Spain by Don Salluste de Bazan, the rich, greedy and backstabbing tax collector for revenge. Don Salluste disguises his servant Blaze (Ives Montand) as a nobleman and takes him to the king's court. Attractive, funny, and suave, Blaze saves the king from the bomb, becomes popular, is appointed a tax collector instead of Salluste, and conquers the queen's heart. Don Salluste returns to take his revenge by notifying the king with the anonymous letter about queen's infidelity. The final act that brings together Salluste, Blaze, Salluste's nephew Don Cesar de Bazan whom his loving uncle sold as a slave to the Sahara barbarians, the furious jealous king, the queen who is in love with Blaze and her Cerberus like dueña, old virgin Donna Juana (very funny Alice Sapritch) who is also passionately in love with Blaze is non-stopping laugh that left me in stitches. La folie des grandeurs, directed by Gérard Oury, adapted by Oury's daughter Danièle Thomson, and starring Louis de Funès (Don Salluste) and Yves Montand (Blaze) is based on the serious drama but it is so deliciously silly, dizzyingly fast, absurd, and hilarious that you would laugh even when you know how silly it is. Ives Montand replaced Bourvil who was initially meant to play Blaze, and who had a great chemistry with De Funes on the screen nicely balancing latter's super activity and aggressiveness with his gentle naiveté and kindness. But as Bourvil died in 1970, Yves Montand ultimately got the role and proved to be quite good in a comedy even though the viewers were used to see him playing the cool and cynic characters in the thrillers and dramas.

As always with De Funes, he practically owns the movie. While watching " La folie des grandeurs" for the first time last night I could not help laughing hard and loud even knowing how silly and over the top the movie was but laughing even more because of it. This morning, I began laughing again just recalling De Funes' face and him losing his voice and making some impossible quacking and squeaking noises when caught by surprise in the most hilarious scene of the film. "La folie des grandeurs hold the record as the most successful French film of 1971, the fact that does not surprise me at all.

Fmovies: This movie is a delightful parody of Victor Hugo's masterpiece 'Ruy Blas'. Alice Sapritch (the duegna to the Queen) is, as usual, magnificent. Louis de Funes and Yves Montand make a hilarious and exhilarating pair. Highly recommended.

I have just seen this hilarious comedy for the first time in its French original version... it is definitely a great comedy. The costumes, the characters and the puns are so excellent, I would advise any francophile to watch that movie as soon as possible.

Delusions of Grandeur fmovies. Yves Montand at his best, even for those, who deny intellectual appearances with him. De Funes tries to overtake him with his abilities, and the spectator is the winner. Unfortunately this movie had been squeezed in the mills of cold war time, but don't exaggerate. Turn your color-button up and enjoy.

"Delusion of grandeur" is a brilliant parody, full of amazing inventions, inspirated by "Ruy Blas", the part written by Victor Hugo. Louis de Funes, Alice Sapritch and Yves Montand create an everending movement, a splendid dynamic of humour : they are dign of the best artists of burlesque.Moreover, the music composed by Michel Polnareff is one of the most expressive illustration composed for a sophisticated and spectacular bubble of happyness. In fact, Gerard Oury, the laughing emperor of french comedies and his daughter, Daniele Thompson, had created a splendid miracle : they had permitted, that spanish frenzy and classical elegance had been associated, to offer a fascinating panorama of slapstick country. Yes, "Grandeur" stays the best word to describe this strange alchimy, which catchs the ludicrous vanities of human being, to transform them into jewels of non-sense. "Il est l'or, Monsignor"...

A great performance from France's Charlie Chaplin - Luis de Funes. This movie is about a money-loving ruthless tax collector in the renaissance Spain, who loses his job and is determined to get it back. One of de Funes' best acts, and a very good job by Yves Montand as his servant. If you don't die laughing while watching this film you may safely assume that you don't have a sense of humor.