Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assasins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.
Louis de Funès delivers a masterclass in physical comedy and timing, elevating the material well above average — his performance alone justifies a 4 in Acting. The plot is a well-constructed farce of mistaken identities and escalating chaos, competently handled but not particularly inventive structurally (3). Cinematography is functional 1970s French comedy fare with little visual ambition (2). The film has a distinctive warmth and satirical edge — using slapstick to skewer bigotry and antisemitism — giving it a mild novelty edge (3). The ending resolves tidily in classic farce tradition without particular inspiration (3).