Joel Seria is not your average director;his first movie,about two girls playing games not exactly their age set the tone :not particular about details,colorful,bad taste (he might be some kind of French John Waters),and a desire to shock his audience,his seventies movies hold up pretty well for those whose taste runs that way.
Unfortunately,his eighties efforts does little but expose the worst of the man's weaknesses.Let's pass over his abysmal "San Antonio Ne Pense Qu'a Ca" (1981),one of his last two theatrically released works.
"Les 2 Crocodiles " is somewhat better than the Dard adaptation ,but its qualities have little to do with Seria's directing and his desultory screenplay;it's his two principals 'own excellence which salvages the general disorganization (and coarseness)of the flick.
Jean-Pierre Marielle is the director's favorite actor ,and his pairing with Jean Carmet (both were featured in the excellent " Dupont-Lajoie",Boisset's 1974 film)is a good idea indeed :the smart man vs the naive one (and both look the part) has often been a good subject : De Funès/Bourvil in Oury's comedies ,Gassman/Trintignant in the unsurpassed Risi's "Il Sorpasso".....
Marielle and Carmet are so good actors that they sometimes overcome the paucity and the weakness of the script;the chemistry between them is so obvious that they make the final (overblown) unexpected twist almost normal.
It's also "normal" because of the disgusting misogyny which runs rampant in the whole story:if they are not strip teasers ,all the women we meet are ugly nymphomaniacs (Dora Doll cast as a fat farmer),monstrous romantics (the bride waiting for her groom),shameless old ladies (the incontinent mom),you name it.... Let's notice a liking for scatology too.
Séria 's decision to call it quits (and to work for TV later on)was entirely appropriated;Nevertheless,he made a short come back in 2010 with "Mumu" starring Sylvie Testud.
Unfortunately,his eighties efforts does little but expose the worst of the man's weaknesses.Let's pass over his abysmal "San Antonio Ne Pense Qu'a Ca" (1981),one of his last two theatrically released works.
"Les 2 Crocodiles " is somewhat better than the Dard adaptation ,but its qualities have little to do with Seria's directing and his desultory screenplay;it's his two principals 'own excellence which salvages the general disorganization (and coarseness)of the flick.
Jean-Pierre Marielle is the director's favorite actor ,and his pairing with Jean Carmet (both were featured in the excellent " Dupont-Lajoie",Boisset's 1974 film)is a good idea indeed :the smart man vs the naive one (and both look the part) has often been a good subject : De Funès/Bourvil in Oury's comedies ,Gassman/Trintignant in the unsurpassed Risi's "Il Sorpasso".....
Marielle and Carmet are so good actors that they sometimes overcome the paucity and the weakness of the script;the chemistry between them is so obvious that they make the final (overblown) unexpected twist almost normal.
It's also "normal" because of the disgusting misogyny which runs rampant in the whole story:if they are not strip teasers ,all the women we meet are ugly nymphomaniacs (Dora Doll cast as a fat farmer),monstrous romantics (the bride waiting for her groom),shameless old ladies (the incontinent mom),you name it.... Let's notice a liking for scatology too.
Séria 's decision to call it quits (and to work for TV later on)was entirely appropriated;Nevertheless,he made a short come back in 2010 with "Mumu" starring Sylvie Testud.
