Francis Veber's Comedies (1981) |
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Francis Veber's Comedies (1981) |
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François Pignon and François Perrin are recurring names used for various characters of fiction in the comedies of Francis Veber. Despite the difference in name, both characters are parallel as they share the same simplicity and lack of malice. The characters are of French Folklore and aliases have appeared outside of Veber's directorial work. Such given examples are:
The three selected films of the collection star the great comedy duo of Pierre Richard as the Pignon/Perrin character and Gérard Depardieu as the unfortunate man who finds himself bemused by the simple minded and self-conscious Pignon/Perrin character. The character of Pignon has been played by a number of actors ranging from singer-songwriter Jacques Brel to Jacques Villeret, Daniel Auteuil and most recently stand-up comedian Gad Elmaleh. Similarly, the character of François Perrin has been played by Patrick Dewaere, Jean-Pierre Marielle and Patrick Bruel but it is Pierre Richard who has played both similarly themed characters for the director. Equally, Depardieu (Tais-toi! (2002)) and Auteuil (Le Placard (2000) and La Doublure (2006)) have played Pignon themed characters as well as the straight man who Pignon is at odds with.
The films of Veber often revolve around mistaken identity and the character of Pignon/Perrin is often the fool of the scenario, but the Pignon/Perrin character is much more than the classic dupe, as we sympathise with his gentle nature. With such abiding qualities, Pignon/Perrin eventually becomes the hero of the story. The box-office success of these films led to American remakes which saw Martin Short in two of Pierre Richard's roles - La Chèvre (1981) became Pure Luck (1991) and Les Fugitifs (1986) became Three Fugitives (1989), which Verber directed. The American production of Three Fugitives (1989) was also a shot-by-shot remake of the French original. Les Compères (1983) was remade as Father's Day (1996) with Robin Williams in Richard's original role.
By revisiting the original films in this collection we see that the differences between the original French productions and the subsequent American remakes are vast. Veber's films are instilled with a subtlety and a sense of realism and what makes the Pignon/Perrin character and performance all the more intriguing is that he is a fantasist and a complex man in contrast to Gérard Depardieu's reliable straight man act. Veber's characters also make a transition by the films' final scenes and again it is not a melodramatic cliché nor is it to do with redemption but rather the characters change because of their new-found experience and the connection with another through the course of chaotic events. Their change is recognisable and understandable. For example, La Chèvre (Knock on Wood) (1981) presents the tale of Campana (Depardieu), a detective who has been unsuccessful in locating the daughter of a rich businessman who mysteriously disappeared while on vacation in Mexico. As the young girl was accident-prone a psychologist advises Campana that François Perrin (Richard), a man possessed with bad luck, could help him in locating the missing girl. Campana reluctantly agrees and is mystified at how Perrin's "errors" lead to valuable clues.
The second film in this set, Les Compères (1983), presents seventeen year-old Tristan Martin and his rebellious girlfriend, who are suspected to have run away to Nice as their relationship was not encouraged by their parents. Worried and at a loss, Tristan's mother Christine tells her old boyfriend Jean Lucas (Depardieu) that he is the father of Tristan and he must find him. Lucas, who is now a successful journalist, decides he will not get involved because he feels he was deceived by Christine. Disappointed, Christine then confronts another boyfriend of her past, François Pignon (Richard) who is now a teacher. Unbeknownst to Christine, Pignon is suicidal as he was recently divorced and now lives with his mother. When Christine tells Pignon he is the father of Tristan, Pignon is delighted and hopes to be a better person for his son. At the same time Lucas finds himself in Nice for work and decides to search for Tristan. Lucas later meets Pignon who says he too is looking for his son. The two decide to search together only to find out they are looking for the same teenager and are both the 'fathers'.
Finally, in Les Fugitifs (1986), Jean Lucas (Depardieu) has recently been released from prison for armed robbery. Lucas tells the arresting police officers who tail him that he is a changed man and has left his life of crime behind. In disbelief the police officers leave Lucas as he enters a bank. While in the bank Lucas is taken hostage by a spontaneous bank robber. Outside, the police cannot believe Lucas has not had anything to do with the robbery and as he is now a suspected criminal, Lucas leaves the crime scene with the bank robber. The bank robber turns out to be François Pignon (Richard) a man down on his luck who has turned to a life of crime in order to provide for his young daughter Jeanne. Wide eyed Jeanne, who has not spoken since her mother's death, surprisingly takes a shine to Lucas while all are on the run from the police. Confused, Lucas has to decide whether to help Pignon and Jeanne and remain a wanted criminal or turn himself over to the police and in order to clear his name incriminate Pignon, leaving Jeanne without her father.
Each film is wonderfully presented with brilliant and simple menu designs and timeless cover art referring back to the original theatrical posters.
This is a wonderful set for fans of Veber who have waited many years to see these classic films on DVD.
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La Chèvre (1981) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Comedy |
Main Menu Audio Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Les Comperes, Les Fugitifs, La Chevre,Mon Oncle, Play Time |
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| Year Of Production | 1981 | ||
| Running Time | 89:51 (Case: 95) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (42:13) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Francis Veber |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Pierre Richard Gérard Depardieu Pedro Armendáriz Jr. Corynne Charbit Maritza Olivares André Valardy Jorge Luke Sergio Calderón Michel Robin |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | $24.95 | Music | Vladimir Cosma |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | Yes | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes | ||
Francis Veber has long become one of France's most popular film makers. La Chevre was his breakthrough hit as a director. It also introduced the immensely successful pairing of Pierre Richard (already an established comedy actor) with Gérard Depardieu, a duo that would appear together many times again.
Veber had successfully established himself as a comedy writer throughout the 1970s, even earning an Oscar nomination in 1978 for writing of La Cage aux Folles (somewhat of a rarity for a French language feature), but his rise to super stardom in his homeland didn't come until he began directing. This release is part of Madman's Directors Suite range. Veber's Les Fugitifs has also been released in this range and reviewed here.
La Chevre translates to "The Goat" in English (although the film was released as Knock on Wood in the English speaking world), which sums the film up nicely. The daughter of the chairman of a bank has been kidnapped in Mexico and private detective Campana (Depardieu) has failed to find her after 42 days. The daughter happens to be one of the unluckiest people in the world, so the chairman decides to partner Campana with the somebody equally as unlucky, François Perrin (Richard) in the hope that their bad luck will somehow bring them together. It's a ludicrous premise, but one that provides ample excuse for some comedic mayhem.
The humour in La Chevre is very similar to the style of early Steve Martin (particularly the similarly titled The Jerk) and Jerry Lewis. It is extremely silly, often not politically correct and relies on a good dose of slapstick. Recommended to anyone looking for a chuckle.
The video is presented in its original 1.66:1 aspect and is 16x9 enhanced.
The film has been given a very good restoration and transfer, particularly given the age of the film. The image is generally quite clear and there are very few film artefacts visible. Some scenes have a very mild flicker in the light level (see for example 7:20), but it is not particularly distracting. Dark scenes typically have adequate shadow depth, but some are fairly grainy (37:31). This does not make them unwatchable, but is a stark contrast to the very clear lighter scenes. Colours are quite bold, but occasionally appear to have been slightly over-balanced with skin tones in some scenes appearing much pinker than other scenes.
There are no obvious digital video artefacts introduced by the transfer to DVD.
The layer break occurs discretely at 42:13.
The English subtitles are very bold and yellow - easy to read and well timed.
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There is one French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (224 Kbps) language track available (the cover incorrectly lists audio as Dolby Digital 5.1).
The audio is generally well mixed, but does not make use of the surround channels or subwoofer. Dialogue is clear, but the sync is noticeabley off for many of the Mexican actors, many of whom were likely dubbed in post production.
The orchestral score is quite catchy and suits the film well.
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In addition to some fairly minimal extras - certainly less than one would expect from a title from a "Directors Suite" collection - there is a brief essay on Francis Veber included inside the cover.
Standard static menus featuring a catchy segment of the score.
Standard theatrical trailer.
Piracy warning followed by trailers for other titles in the Madman Directors Suite range. Includes trailers for Les Compéres, Les Fugitifs, Mon Oncle and Playtime.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
La Chevre is available in Region 1 in NTSC in the incorrect aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and devoid of extras. Region 4 is the region of choice.
A classic comedy that has been given an above average DVD transfer.
The video transfer is good, but suffers some minor issues in dark scenes. The audio transfer is basic, but true to its source material, and very clear.
Extras are minimal, which is somewhat disappointing.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | LG V8824W, using S-Video output |
| Display | LG 80cm 4x3 CRT. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Pioneer VSX-D512. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Pioneer VSX-D512 |
| Speakers | 150W DTX front speakers, and a 100W centre and 2 surrounds, 12 inch PSB Image 6i powered sub |
Compères, Les (1983) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Comedy |
Main Menu Audio Theatrical Trailer-Les Compères Trailer- Madman Propaganda |
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| Year Of Production | 1983 | ||
| Running Time | 87:22 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (49:09) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Francis Veber |
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Studio
Distributor |
Madman Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Pierre Richard Gérard Depardieu Anny Duperey Michel Aumont Stéphane Bierry Philippe Khorsand Jean-Jacques Scheffer Maurice Barrier Roland Blanche Bruno Allain François Bernheim Patrick Blondel Philippe Brigaud |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | $24.95 | Music | Vladimir Cosma |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
French Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Francis Veber has written and directed three wonderful comedies back-to-back in the last few years; Tais-Toi (Ruby & Quentin), The Closet and The Dinner Game. I was lucky enough to review Tais-Toi, which I enjoyed very much. And now Madman are releasing a three disc box set of older Veber titles, of which this is the third to be reviewed. The previous two are La Chevre &Les Fugitifs, which have been reviewed by my colleagues on this site. I was very keen to review these titles and am glad that I got this one to review. Having said that, I found this to be a little disappointing compared to his newer films. It may be partially due to the American remake of this film, Fathers' Day, which was pretty diabolical, however, I felt this film was a little dated and quite slow in parts. There were some very amusing scenes but overall it seemed a bit uneven to me.
The plot involves a teenager, Tristan, running away from his home in Paris with a girl and heading to the south of France. His mother Christine is very anxious about him but cannot get much assistance from the police. Desperate, she decides to ring two of her old boyfriends and convince them to search for the boy by telling both of them that he is Tristan's father. Firstly, she calls Jean Lucas (Gerard Depardieu), a tough journalist who writes exposes about the mob, and when he initially refuses to help, she calls Francois Pignon (Pierre Richard), a hopeless neurotic who has tried many times to kill himself and is having another attempt when the phone rings. They meet by accident at the hotel owned by the girl's father and agree to team up. They quickly realise they are searching for the same boy...
Depardieu was the highlight and I found Richard fairly unfunny in this role. Certainly worth a look for fans of the director's work, however, this is not one of his best.
The video quality is very good for a film of this age.
The feature is presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio 16x9 enhanced which is the original aspect ratio.
The picture was quite sharp and clear, benefiting from the high bitrate of the transfer. There was no evidence of low level noise.
The colour was quite good although a little overbright resulting in some colour bleeding from light colours.
Artefacts were only minor in nature but included some small specks, some white lines at 21:40, some aliasing on a rug at 48:45 and some edge enhancement.
There are subtitles in English, which unlike many foreign language films released here were encoded as a subtitle stream allowing them to be turned off for native speakers. The English subtitles were clear and easy to read.
The layer change occurs at 49:09 causing a significant pause and a little jump.
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The audio quality is good.
This DVD contains two audio options, a French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack encoded at 448 Kb/s and a French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at 224 Kb/s. These two are virtually interchangeable as there is no surround or subwoofer action anyway.
Dialogue seemed clear and there was no problem with audio sync. Some lines of dialogue seemed to include background hiss.
The score of this film by Vladimir Cosma is badly dated and the whistled theme song is just plain annoying.
The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used in any noticeable way.
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Not much here....
The menu included the annoying theme song and the ability to select scenes, languages and subtitles.
Inside the case is an essay on Veber's work and films.
An average trailer with quite soft video. Shows how good the main film's transfer is.
Trailers are included for Les Fugitifs, Mon Oncle, The Closet and Tais-Toi.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
There are three releases available around the globe which I can find. One, the Russian release, can be dismissed immediately as it only has Russian subtitles. There is a French release, however, this has no subtitles at all, not even in French. Neither release has any extras. The only possible one to consider is the Region 0 US release which is in NTSC at 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced. This is the incorrect aspect ratio, so that counts it out. I think our local release is easily the best available even if you speak French as the French release is not 16x9 enhanced and the local subtitles are removable.
The video quality is very good.
The audio quality is good.
A few minor extras are included.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Pioneer DV667A DVD-V DVD-A SACD, using Component output |
| Display | Sony FD Trinitron Wega KV-AR34M36 80cm. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL)/480i (NTSC). |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Pioneer VSX-511 |
| Speakers | Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Yamaha YST SW90 subwoofer |
Fugitifs, Les (1986) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Comedy |
Main Menu Audio Theatrical Trailer-Les Fugitifs Trailer- Madman Propaganda |
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| Year Of Production | 1986 | ||
| Running Time | 79:10 (Case: 95) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Francis Veber |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Pierre Richard Gérard Depardieu Jean Carmet Maurice Barrier Jean Benguigui Roland Blanche Anaïs Bret Philippe Lelièvre Yveline Ailhaud Didier Pain Marc Adjadj Alain Algara Eric Averlant |
| Case | Amaray-Opaque-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | $24.95 | Music | Vladimir Cosma |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.66:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Jean Lucas (Depardieu) has recently been released from prison for armed robbery. Lucas tells the arresting police officers who tail him that he is a changed man and has left his life of crime. In disbelief the police officers leave Lucas as he enters a bank. While in the bank Lucas is taken hostage by a spontaneous bank robber. Outside, the police cannot believe Lucas has not had anything to do with the heist and as he is now a suspected criminal, Lucas leaves the crime scene with the bank robber. The bank robber turns out to be François Pignon (Richard) a man down on his luck who has turned to a life of crime in order to provide for his young daughter, Jeanne. Wide-eyed Jeanne, who has not spoken since her mother's death, surprisingly takes a shine to Lucas while all are on the run from the police. Confused, Lucas has to decide whether to help Pignon and Jeanne and remain a wanted criminal or turn himself over to the police and in order to clear his name incriminate Pignon, leaving Jeanne without her father.
The transfer has been encoded at a high average bit-rate of 8.45 Mb/s on a dual layer DVD. Subsequently the transfer is free of MPEG compression artefacts and is commendable.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 16x9 enhanced, the image remains clear with excellent shadow depth and natural colour.
The transfer does have minimal film grain and artefacts present but overall the transfer is pleasing, particular when one considers the film is now 20 years old.
The optional English subtitles are presented in a yellow Arial font.
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There are two French soundtracks available on this DVD. Overall both are well produced soundtracks.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is encompassing, predominantly during scenes with Vladimir Cosma’s score. The score is memorable and well suited to the film as it fits in with the chaos of the comedy and is hinted with the melancholy of Pignon and Lucas’ dilemma.
Subwoofer usage is minimal.
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The menu designs are minimal and practical. The Menu features an interpretation of a classic image of Pignon holding Lucas hostage which were familiar in the theatrical poster designs. This still image is accompanied by Vladimir Cosma’s score.
Piracy Warning followed by trailers for Les Compères, Après vous..., and Brodeuses.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The film has received a similar release in France R2. The film is presented in 1.66:1 widescreen and includes optional French subtitles. Three Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks are available, including French, Italian and Spanish.
Also in France R2 a two disc boxset of Les Compères (1983) and Les Fugitifs (1986) is available to purchase. The 2004 release includes both films presented in 1.66:1 widescreen with French and Italian subtitle options. The audio options include French (5.1 DD), Italian (2.0 DD) and Spanish (2.0 DD). Extra features include trailers and two featurettes "Les compères voyagent" and Les fugitifs voyagent".
This is a wonderful release for fans of Veber who have waited many years to see these classic films on DVD.
| Video | |
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| Extras | |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Denon DVD-1910, using DVI output |
| Display | Panasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
| Amplification | Yamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS |
| Speakers | (Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12 |