Adémaï au moyen âge (1934)
Directed by Jean de Marguenat

Film Review

After Adémaï et la Nation armée (1932), Adémaï Joseph à l'O.N.M. (1933) and Adémaï aviateur (1934), the ever-popular comic actor Noël-Noël steps into the shoes of the accident-prone Adémaï (a Gallic 1930s version of Mr Bean) for the fourth time in this likeable medieval romp scripted by Adémaï's creator Paul Colline.  Most of the gags and comicbook situations are painfully predictable, and the plot shows a distinct lack of inventiveness, but Noël-Noël's unflagging genius for comedy, aided and abetted by an outrageously over-the-top Michel Simon (hilarious as an English lord), ensures there is plenty to laugh at.  Among the best gags is a madcap joust sequence in which the hopelessly inept Adémaï manages to virtually wipe out a massed throng of spectators before accidentally knocking his opponent out.  Simon's exaggerated English accent gets almost as many laughs but in the end this is Noël-Noël's film - so successful was he in the role of Adémaï that it is hard to believe he played the loveable comic goon in just one more film, Adémaï bandit d'honneur (1943).  The film is also worth noting for being one of the first to which the legendary chansonnier Tino Rossi lent his talents as an actor and singer, here in the minor role of a troubadour.

Film Synopsis

France, 1429.  The Hundred Years War is nearing its end but, despite Joan of Arc's best efforts, the English armies still occupy the north of the country.  Châteauneuf is one small French village that remains under English control, governed by the formidable Lord Pickwickdam.  Joseph Adémaï, a cowardly peasant, is none too pleased when his beloved Tiennette is abducted and taken to Pickwickdam's castle to provide some courtly entertainment.  In his attempts to rescue his wife, Adémaï stumbles from one disastrous situation to another and ends up getting caught in the crossfire between the French and English armies.  Luckily, our hero appears to have as many lives as a cat...