L'Aile ou la cuisse (1976)
Directed by Claude Zidi

Film Review

Haute cuisine takes on the might of prêt-à-manger in this spirited satirical farce which serves up a mouth-watering double portion of comic genius in the shape of Louis de Funès and Coluche.  One of the better films that De Funès made for director Claude Zidi, L'Aile ou la cuisse offers not only some sublime comedy but also a deliciously acerbic satire on several aspects of culinary life in France.  Of course, what sells the film is the unforgettable union of two immensely talented comedic performers, each of whom achieved an unrivalled popularity in the course of his career.

Coluche and Louis de Funès could hardly be more different, both in their personalities and in their style of comedy.  Yet, over the next decade, the former would inherit the latter's mantle as the most high-profile and popular comedian in France.  Coluche won widespread affection and support when he chose to run against François Mitterand in the 1981 French presidential election, although his lasting legacy is the charity Restos du coeur, which he founded in 1985.  Coluche's success would doubtless have continued were it not for his tragic death in a road accident in 1986.

Interestingly, the role played by Coluche in L'Aile ou la cuisse was originally intended for another popular comic actor, Pierre Richard, but he turned the part down.   Although Coluche and De Funès are poles apart in their approach to comedy, they work together amazingly well - there is no sense of the tense rivalry which is noticeable in some of the other memorable De Funès star pairings.

Julien Guiomar plays the principal baddy, Tricatel, with an obvious relish, and the film also features a welcome appearance by Philippe Bouvard, now best known as the host of RTL's long-running radio show Les Grosses têtes.   At De Funès's insistence, Claude Gensac appears briefly in the film as Duchemin's secretary, but she is so heavily made-up that she is barely recognisable.  Director Claude Zidi was reluctant to cast Gensac because of her association with De Funès in the Gendarme films, in which she played the actor's long-suffering wife.

Shortly before making this film, Louis de Funès suffered a heart attack, and the effect of this is a noticeable change in his style of comedy, which is much gentler, more subtle than previously.   He is still just as effective at making an audience laugh, particularly when his character slips into various disguises (such as a sweet old lady or a camp American tourist).   Coluche provides the physical comedy which De Funès was presumably no longer up to, although he does also get his fair share of witty one-liners.   The combined efforts of these two great comic performers, together with a gag-filled script and a very capable supporting cast, are what make L'Aile ou la cuisse one of French cinema's most enjoyable comedies.

Film Synopsis

At 60, Charles Duchemin is the most revered of France's culinary experts.  Not only is he a food critic of some considerable renown, he is also the author of the country's most popular restaurant guide.  Adopting various elaborate disguises so that he will not be recognised, Duchemin makes a habit of dropping in on the nation's eateries so that he can assess the quality of the cuisine and award the appropriate mark in his guide.  Now that he has been awarded France's highest honour - admission to the Académie Française - Duchemin plans to retire and hand over his business to his son Gérard.

Little does the critic know that his son has no intention of picking up the culinary baton.  Instead, Gérard has his heart set on a career as a comedian and has kept from his father the fact that, in his spare time, he performs as a clown with a circus company.  One man who will not be sorry to see Duchemin go is his mortal enemy Jacques Tricatel, the owner of a chain of supermarkets that sells the kind of food which the critic regards as inedible.  No friend of haute cuisine, Tricatel is planning to open a number of fast-food restaurants that risk putting most of the respectable eating establishments out of business.

When Duchemin gets wind of this terrible prospect, he agrees to appear with his archenemy on a live television chat show, determined to expose him as culinary enemy number one.  But Tricatel is a merciless opponent and, having discovered Gérard Duchemin's secret occupation, he intends using this knowledge to humiliate the critic.  Fate would seem to be on his side, as Duchemin suddenly loses his sense of taste at the moment when he most needs it.  The only person who can help the critic now is his son - but is his palate up to the job...?