Le Magot de Josefa (1963)
Directed by Claude Autant-Lara

Film Review

It is not without reason that Anna Magnani is known as the "she-wolf" of Italian cinema.  Anyone who has seen her lay into Anthony Quinn in The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969), which she does with the contained fury of an army of half-starved velociraptors descending on a helpless sheep, will know that she was a force of nature, only marginally less terrifying than Mount Etna when in full volcanic spectacle.  So, when Magnani is cast in opposition to Pierre Brasseur, an actor who is not exactly known for playing the sweet-natured poodle, we can expect plenty of fireworks, if not a gory fight to the death between two of cinema's most formidable titans.  In this respect at least, Le Magot de Josefa lives up to our expectations.  The scenes in which Magnani and Brasseur spit blood and rip big chunks out of each other are the main saving grace of this otherwise forgettable comedy from director Claude Autant-Lara.

Not long after Magnani was improbably cast alongside Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind (1960), she ended up playing a virtually identical role opposite the popular French comic actor Bourvil in this midde-of-the-road comedy.  Here, Magnani saves her tempestuous passions for Brasseur, who is revealed to be an old flame who has turned distinctly bitter, so Bourvil gets off comparatively lightly.  A diva of Italian neo-realism, Magnani still acts as if her life depended on it but here her intensely emotional performance comes across as somewhat overwrought, and some of her scenes in the film would be better suited for a gritty Italian drama than a light-hearted French comedy.  That said, her scenes with Bourvil are a delight to watch, and despite their very differing styles and backgrounds, the two actors have a genuine and close rapport.

"I like your voice", Magnani gently confides in Bourvil when she listens to a recording of one of his songs (Un air de jeunesse).  This makes a pleasing contrast with the fiery Magnani-Brasseur set-tos, which threaten to turn into a raging conflagration of epic proportions.  (The sets were presumably reinforced with thick steel girders to prevent them from collapsing whenever Magnani and Brasseur went to war.)   Le Magot de Josefa is neither a great film nor a great comedy, and it pales into insignificance compared with Bourvil's previous collaboration with Autant-Lara, La Traversée de Paris.  However, the opportunity to see three such diverse monstres sacrés  sparring off one another, and doing so with what can only be described as unfettered relish, makes it well worth watching.

Film Synopsis

Musician Pierre Corneille and songwriter Justin Truculia are delighted when they receive their first paycheque for a song they have written together.  Opening a bank account with the pittance they have earned, they hit on a plan that will bring them far more money.  Justin writes out a cheque to Pierre for three million francs.  When the bank refuses to pay out this sum, Pierre calls on Josefa, Justin's wealthy mother, warning her that unless she pays up, her son will be sent to prison.  The plan backfires when it turns out that Josefa is not as rich as she is supposed to be...