America has Spider-Man, France has Louis de Funès. To each his own superheroes: we are the country of comic blockbusters.
In 2021, and the epidemic somewhat masked the event, Louis de Funès was the superhero of a real revolution in the big little world of French cinema. Long after his death in 1983, at the age of 68, the Cinémathèque française devoted an exhibition to him, the first entirely dedicated to an actor in this temple of auteur cinema.
Unprecedented academic visibility: the celebration of the most popular entertainer at the Cinémathèque is a sign that times are changing for French comedy. It marks the recognition of a comic cinema with intact popularity, as evidenced by the recurring audience records for old comedies during TV reruns.
Resistance to Hollywood
The country of the cinema of laughter is France. Comedy remains the leading genre in terms of production and success. We spoke on purpose…