Le Cri du cormoran, le soir au-dessus des jonques
1970 Comedy / Crime / Thriller
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Credits
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Summary
Hitch-hiking his way home after an unsuccessful day betting on the horses, Alfred Mulanet
is abducted by a group of gangsters, led by the sinister Monsieur K. Against his
will, he is placed in a coffin, which is to be shipped to Istanbul. En route, the
coffin and Mulanet fall into the hands of a rival gang, led by the dapper Monsieur Kruger.
The latter is irked when he finds no trace of the money which he knew Monsieur K had planned
to smuggle out of the country. Unless Mulanet reveals what he has done with the
money, he will be in permanent need of a coffin...
Review
In the pantheon of successful French screenwriters, Michel Audiard deserves a prominent
position. He wrote the dialogue for some of the most popular mainstream French film
films of the 1960s and 1970s - classics such as
Un taxi pour Tobrouk (1960) and
Les Tontons flingueurs (1963).
Although he is best known as a writer, Audiard also directed a number of films, of which
his fourth, Le Cri du cormoran, is perhaps his
most memorable. This is just about the maddest of madcap comedy thrillers, with
Audiard’s flair for slapstick and witty dialogue readily apparent, although the comedy
is taken a bit too far in some places and the plot is something of a mess. The film
is based on a novel by the American writer Evan Hunter (better known as Ed McBain), who
famously wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s The
Birds (1963). The novel was adapted by novice screenwriter Jean-Marie Poiré,
who later became a director, responsible for such classic comedies as
Le Père Noël est une ordure (1982)
and Les
Visiteurs (1993).
Audiard’s reputation as a writer served him in good stead as a director, enabling to attract some very talented and well-known performers. The cast list for Le Cri du cormoran is mouth-watering, including such stars as Paul Meurisse, Bernard Blier and Michel Serrault, with Yves Robert, Jean Carmet and Maurice Biraud in some memorable supporting roles. It’s a great film for Michel Serrault, who shows a natural talent for this kind of chaotic comedy, which could so easily have gone horribly wrong in less capable hands. As if that wasn't enough talent to burn a stonking great hole in the cinema screen, one other big name actor makes his début in this film, none other than Gérard Depardieu,who, despite his youth, is instantly recognisable as a hapless gangster henchman. © James Travers 2007 Write a review for this film... |
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