Philippe Noiret has examined the statistics and found the town in France where people live the longest. He buys up all the land and begins the promotion.... except for the house and field belonging to Bourvil, where 'the fountain of youth' is. Bourvil won't sign without talking it over with his heir, also played by Bourvil. They quarrel, the elder Bourvil gets killed, and it's now up to the younger one. He doesn't wish to sign, because he's in love with Annie Fratellini, and wishes to marry her and bring her to the home where his family has lived for .... well, a long time. Except he's never told her. He's a shepherd, so he talks to his sheep.
Rene Clair's movie has a lot of location shooting in the countryside near Lot-et-Garonne (also standing in for South America) for a man who could create all of Paris on a studio set. It's not really a Rene Clair, but a Bourvil film, despite a section of about half an hour in which Paris and la vie de la célébrité is picked apart, the sort of thing he did in his silent films, and the essential meaningless of high finance.
Bourvil's comedic character is a bit dull for my taste, but it's a type that has had successful practitioner before and since -- Stu Erwin's country rube springs to mind. I am told that Bourvil's performances for Gerard Oury were his most popular. He died 1970 at the age of 53. His part in Oury's next movie was taken by Yves Montand.
Rene Clair's movie has a lot of location shooting in the countryside near Lot-et-Garonne (also standing in for South America) for a man who could create all of Paris on a studio set. It's not really a Rene Clair, but a Bourvil film, despite a section of about half an hour in which Paris and la vie de la célébrité is picked apart, the sort of thing he did in his silent films, and the essential meaningless of high finance.
Bourvil's comedic character is a bit dull for my taste, but it's a type that has had successful practitioner before and since -- Stu Erwin's country rube springs to mind. I am told that Bourvil's performances for Gerard Oury were his most popular. He died 1970 at the age of 53. His part in Oury's next movie was taken by Yves Montand.