Fleur d'oseille

Edward L Cahn gave us GUNS, GIRLS AND GANGSTERS, so our George Lautner - after all I am french - adapted a Jean Amila's novel, a very unusual topic involving normal people facing gangsters, to entertain audiences. Here, we find the Lautner's touch, and helped once more by Michel Audiard's dialogues. It is less rough and brutal than LE PACHA, but still remains a crime film, not a comedy. Mireille Darc shines in this film. She was for the Lautner, Lino Ventura, Jean Gabin, Gilles Grangier and Michel Audiard's bunch - a macho men bunch - the equivalent of what Maureen O'Hara was for the John Ford's one, with John Wayne, Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond. A woman adopted by tough men. Back to this agreeable film, we have the charm of the sixties with score, settings and dialogues. For instance women taking sun baths all naked, typical of the daring sixties... I don't remember if the film is faithful or not to the book. I have it at home but can not remind it. It is unusual, and also slightly bittersweet, that's the only thing that I can remind. In this movie,you have something of LES LOUPS DANS LA BERGERIE, also adapted from jean Amila, and something from TOTAL WESTERN. Some interesting supporting characters.

The Audiard / Lautner tandem is legendary for French cinema of the 1970s and together they created excellent comedie,s carried by fine dialogues that have often become cult. "Fleur d'oseille" is a bit below their best hits in my opinion. For me it is the presence of the babies which is somewhat disturbing. The film is a bit slow to get started. The scenes shot in the institute for single mothers are long and unnecessary. It is only when the girls leave the institution that the rythm starts to pick up. Other than that, the movie is quite funny and entertaining. The most legendary scene of the film is obviously when the two girls take their outdoor bath naked in their garden ... I love Mireille Darc and seeing her in this scene is a real pleasure! Overall I had a good entertaining time but the result could have been funnier I would say, or maybe I just had higher expectations? Still very much worth watching!

I have to say that I'm always astounded and saddened by the fact that most people, apart from the french i hope, are blissfully unaware of the existence of one of the greatest french comedy duo of all time, and I'm talking about screenwriter Michel Audiard and director Georges Lautner, i mean, how can the geniuses behind such great flicks as: "Le guignolo", "L'incorrigible", "Les tontons flingueurs", "Fleur d'oseille" or "Laisse allez c'est une valse", to name but a few, still go unnoticed ?! I do realise that those movies are incredibly hard to dub, and require a little knowledge of french culture, especially to enjoy the wonderful dialogues from Audiard, but still, the injustice amazes me, so please, check those movies, and you can start with Fleur d'oseille, who is a delightful gangster comedy, absolutely typical of Audiard, Lautner, and of course, the sixties and France. I'm crazy about it, i always have, and hopefully, you will too.