François Premier (1937)
Directed by Christian-Jaque

Film Review

The most famous, and probably the best, of the six comic films which Fernandel made with the director Christian-Jaque, François Premier is of interest today mainly for its ruthless parodying of the starchy historic dramas which were very much in vogue when the film was made.  Such films tended to slip up with unintentional anachronisms - François Premier does this deliberately, most famously in the ball scene where medieval courtiers dance cheek-to-cheek to the fox trot and other contemporary tunes.

At the time of its release in the mid-1930s, Fernandel was at the height of his popularity, and it is probably the unbridled comedy which made the film so popular, not just in France, but throughout the world: the film was an international success.   Today, the comedy is probably not the film's best element, some of the jokes have not aged well and some of the slapstick appears too contrived and unsophisticated. Christian-Jaque's tongue-in-cheek direction, which combines the comic and the frightening realistic, is of much greater interest.  That said, Fernandel is undoubtedly the film's focal point, bringing a unique and completely inimitable brand of comedy, perfectly in keeping with Christian-Jaque's intentions.

Christian-Jaque and Fernandel envisaged attempting a re-make of this film in the 1960s, but nothing came of this.  A re-make of a sorts came along in the early 1990s, with the box-office hit Les Visiteurs, which is essentially François 1er in reverse.

Film Synopsis

Honorin is the timid stage manager of the Théâtre Cascaroni, which is currently rehearsing a production of “François 1er ou les amours de la Belle Ferronnière ”.  Honorin's dream of playing the title role comes true when the current lead actor falls ill.  However, Honorin is afflicted with a terrible stage fright, and so he turns to a friend, the fortune teller and mystic Cagliostro.   Under deep hypnosis, Honorin awakes to find himself in the 16th Century, at the court of the real François I.  Luckily, he is carrying an encyclopaedia, so he is able to familiarise himself with the period, and also to make some predictions which earn him praise and honours at the court.  But, by agreeing to save the honour of the King's mistress, he makes a mortal enemy in her husband, the villainous Jean Ferron...