|
|
Tout le monde il est beau, tout le monde il est gentil
1972 Comedy
Review
Jean Yanne’s directorial debut feels like something of a personal
crusade, a full-blooded behind-the-scenes exposé of the radio
business and an all-out assault on the murky world of
advertising. As he had already spent ten years working in radio,
it is a milieu with which Yanne was well acquainted and, at the time
the film was made, it was a far from healthy milieu. Because
French radio stations were dependent on advertising for their income,
they were at the beck and call of their sponsors, with the result that
they were little more than a mouthpiece for commerce and
industry. The same is true today with many commercially funded
media outlets, particularly the newspapers and certain satellite
channels, making this a film which continues to be highly
relevant. Tout le monde il est beau, tout le monde il est gentil was a box office hit when it was first released, encouraging Yanne to make further films in a similar anarcho-satirical vein. However, it also provoked great controversy and was judged by many to be blasphemous. (Any film in which the director shares a credit with God and portrays the almighty endorsing a wide range of consumer products is unlikely to go down well with the Gospel reading fraternity.) As well as satirising the shadier side of broadcasting and advertising, the film also lampoons organised religion, specifically the way in which unscrupulous individuals exploit the gullibility of the pious faithful for their own ends. Jean Yanne not only scripted and directed the film (embossing both which his own personality, that of a rabid sabre-toothed satirist), he also takes the lead role, playing along such giants as Michel Serrault and Bernard Blier (both giving great value), with a talented supporting cast that includes a young (and hilarious) Daniel Prévost. With its unflagging humour and outrageous musical numbers (which evoke perfectly the early years of the 1970s in all their cool psychedelic glory), Tout le monde il est beau, tout le monde has just about everything it takes to make a cult classic. © James Travers 2009 Write a review for this film... User Comments
How do you rate this film?
|
Director:
Jean Yanne
Starring: Jean Yanne, Bernard Blier, Michel Serrault, Marina Vlady, Jacques François Synopsis
Christian Gerber is a reporter for Radio-Plus, France’s most popular
radio station. Whilst he attempts to accurately report the
peaceful revolution taking place in a Latin American country, his
colleagues fabricate their reports in an attempt to draw a larger
audience. On his return to the offices of Radio-Plus in Paris,
Gerber tries to expose this deception but the company’s president,
Louis-Marcel Thulle, is incensed and demands that he be
dismissed. Plantier, the head of the station, is about to
fire Gerber when his wife turns up unexpectedly, in a homicidal frame
of mind. After Gerber has diffused the situation, Plantier shows
his gratitude by appointing him the station’s artistic
supervisor. This turns out not be a good idea since the
station’s entire output has a nauseating evangelical slant, and that
includes the advertisements. Once again, Gerbier’s honesty earns
him the sack. Out of work, Gerbier is soon occupied helping
to produce a stage show with his friend Marcel Jolin. When
the show, an evangelical musical, proves to be a huge success,
President Thulle decides to hire Gerbier as Plantier’s replacement in
an attempt to revive the fortunes of the ailing radio
station. Gerbier’s brainwave is to create a new kind of
radio experience, where the listeners are told the truth and nothing
but the truth. As Gerbier discovers, the truth can be more
dangerous than any number of lies...
Credits
 More French Comedy |
 |
© filmsdefrance.com 2009