Faut pas prendre les enfants du bon Dieu pour des canards sauvages (1968)
Directed by Michel Audiard

Film Review

A film that opens with a luxuriatingly slow pan of Marlène Jobert, lying naked on a sun bed, is not one to be dismissed lightly.  Michel Audiard had established himself as one of France's leading screenwriters by the time he made his directing debut with this totally unhinged comedy gangster film.  The film's unrelenting daftness is reflected in its title, Faut pas prendre les enfants du bon Dieu pour des canards sauvages, which started a craze for ludicrously long film titles that lasted well into the mid-70s, making life Hell for poster designers.

Since Audiard's biggest successes as a script writer were in the comedy thriller genre - Les Tontons flingueurs (1963), Les Barbouzes (1964) and Ne nous fâchons pas (1966) - it seems natural that he would begin his directing career with a film in the same genre.  The problem was that this once highly popular kind of film was becoming passé by the late 1960s, owing partly to the increasingly violent nature of organised crime in real life.  Gangsters were no longer considered sympathetic rogues but a scourge of society (something which the film acknowledges in its faux vox pop sequence).  Faut pas prendre les enfants... is an effective entry in a once much-loved genre, but it missed the boat by at least three years.  Today, the film is even more dated by its ugly chauvinism - its portrayal of homosexuals as mincing queens and women as mere sex objects.

The superlative cast includes stars such as Françoise Rosay (in one of her last film appearances) and Bernard Blier, who absolutely relish their roles as rival gangsters.  In her first leading role, Marlène Jobert is stunning, although Audiard uses her shamelessly as a sex kitten when she really deserves much better.  This film also marks the screenwriting debut of Jean-Marie Poiré (son of the film's producer Alain Poiré); he would go on to direct some of the best loved French film comedies, including Papy fait de la résistance (1983) and Les Visiteurs (1993).

Faut pas prendre les enfants... is certainly one of the craziest films that French cinema has given us.  The opening credit sequence packs in more laughs than is good for it and gives a taste of what is to come - an unbridled helter-skelter of zany lunacy.  Structurally, the film is a complete mess and its inability to take itself seriously for a second does become a little tiring by the midpoint.  Fortunately, Audiard's penchant for unpredictable humour keeps this comedy juggernaut on the road, even if it clearly lacks something in the way of a driver.

Film Synopsis

It isn't long after their first meeting on the French Riviera that Fred, a gangster, and Rita, his gorgeous mistress, are planning their first criminal exploit together.  Their attempt to rob the French Lebanese bank of a fortune in gold bullion is very nearly thwarted by another gang led by Jacky and her band of merciless transsexuals, but with the help of a few well-placed bombs Fred wins the day.  Unbeknown to Fred, Rita is actually in the employ of another gangster, Charles, but when Rita passes on the gold to Charles she is understandably nonplussed when he refuses to hand over her share of the booty.

Rita has no choice now but to get in touch with her Aunt Leontine, a redoubtable old woman who is feared and respected by the whole of the French criminal underworld.  Terrified over what may now ensue, Charles's criminal associates suddenly desert him and the mobster is left to fend for himself.  Aware that attack is the best form of defence, Charles decides that his next move will be to blow up the hotel where Leontine and Rita are staying.  Unfortunately, this proves to be another disastrous faux pas.

The formidable aunt offers Charles a chance to save face, by handing over his ill-gotten gains as a dowry so that Rita can marry the young man who was sent to broker a peace agreement.  The crook isn't so easily duped, but when he exchanges the gold for cash he is tricked into receiving a case full of Venezuelan banknotes.  Fred turns up unexpectedly and runs off with the case, but is intercepted by Leontine.  It turns out that she is full of good ideas...