Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: De Funès in the skin of Cruchot.
It has now become a tradition: impossible to spend the summer without rewatching the famous adventures of the Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, which still attracts millions of viewers with each broadcast. And if, today, the face of Louis de Funès has become inseparable from the character of Ludovic Cruchot, it was not won in advance! Indeed, the producers did not consider him bankable enough and preferred him in particular Darry Cowl or Francis Blanche.
The perseverance of director Jean Girault paid off. And not just a little. Surrounded by a group of excellent actors (Michel Galabru, Jean Lefebvre, Christian Marin, France Rumilly, the duo Grosso and Modo as well as Maurice Risch), Louis de Funès stands out thanks to his timeless jokes and wins a Victory for Cinema his performance. Even if he has already met with success with Pouic-Pouic and Blow up the bank – which respectively brought together 2 million spectators -, the actor has reached the rank of star this time. Fernandel says it himself: “He’s a new great French comic!”.
At its output, The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez goes unnoticed by the press until the critics notice the enthusiasm of the public and begin to publish their opinions, generally favorable. To everyone’s surprise, the film met with immense success, topping the French box office for 1964 with more than 7.8 million admissions. From then on, the career of Louis de Funès experienced a meteoric rise.
This unexpected triumph led to the production of a saga of six opuses, all equally popular, the last of which was released in 1982. With an average viewer rating of 3.4 out of 5, The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez nevertheless remains the favorite of Internet users AlloCiné.
The Constable of Saint-Tropez by Jean Girault with Louis de Funès, Geneviève Grad, Michel Galabru…
Tonight on 6ter at 9:05 p.m.