L'Homme pressé (1977)
Directed by Edouard Molinaro

Film Synopsis

Pierre Niox is a busy man.  Life is too short to waste on inconsequentialities, so Pierre gallops along like a hyperactive steeplechaser, spending no more time than is necessary on every aspect of his existence.  An antiques dealer in his forties, he is used to chasing after chimeras, thinking they will make him rich.  His latest acquisition is a house in Provence built on the remains of a buried Roman structure.  Pierre is scouring the area for priceless artefacts when he learns that the town's mayor has given the go-ahead for the construction of a motel, something that is bound to jeopardise his latest treasure hunt.  He then has a second, more pressing, problem to deal with.

Edwige, the daughter of the man from whom he bought the estate, has a valid legal objection to the sale, so Pierre has no choice but to marry her without the slightest delay.  The honeymoon in Venice is concluded in record time and Pierre is off on his travels again, this time heading for Africa with his faithful friend Placide.  Their attempts to smuggle some objects of national value out of the country end with their ignominious arrest, and Pierre only manages to save his own neck by denouncing the corrupt civil servant who got him into this mess.  Further trouble awaits him on his return to Paris.

Despite the incredible haste with which the marriage was consummated, Edwige now finds herself pregnant with Pierre's child.  True to form, Pierre hasn't the patience to hang around waiting for the baby to be born, so he does his best to bring about a premature birth.  Determined to have the child in her own time, Edwige goes off on her own, prompting her husband to hire a private detective to follow her and her sister Marie.  By now, Pierre is obsessed with his next project - the acquisition of an ancient vase.  To outbid the museums that are equally determined to obtain this rare antique, Pierre must raise a small fortune in the shortest possible time.  This will prove to be one race too many for the man who is in such a hurry that he reaches life's finishing line before he knows it...