Au diable la vertu (1953) Directed by Jean Laviron
Comedy
Film Review
Some ebullient performances make this rather convoluted farce entertaining - watch out
for Louis de Funès in one of his early supporting roles. As usual, the narrative
is driven by a seemingly endless series of improbable mix-ups of identity, but some of
the jokes are actually quite good. The film's highpoint is the hilarious sequences
where the investigating judge and his entourage attempt to identify a love bite on a witness'
upper thigh - you wouldn't find that kind of thing in an American film of this period.
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Film Synopsis
Pierre has to resort to desperate measures when his wife Gisèle finds
out he was away from home one night. To prevent his wife from discovering
he has a mistress, he realises he needs to concoct a water-tight alibi.
To this end, he offers a stranger, Robert Crémieux, a large sum of
money if he will pass himself off as an old friend and tell his wife that
they spent the evening in question together.
The plan might have worked if it wasn't for the fact that Crémieux
is a crook and at the time he claims to have been whiling away a pleasant
evening with Pierre he was in fact engaged in a spot of burglary. Far
from providing Pierre with an alibi for his own misdemeanour, Crémieux
effectively makes him an accomplice in his crime. Things look bleak
for Pierre when the burglar's victim identifies him as the man who raped
her in the course of the robbery...
Cast: Henri Génès (Pierre Montabrel),
Liliane Bert (Gisèle),
Julien Carette (Tellier),
Maurice Régamey (Jacques Lambert),
Félix Oudart (Le chanoine Clément),
Lili Bontemps (Monique),
Simone Paris (Véronique de St-Hilaire),
Louis de Funès (Lorette, le greffier),
Josselin (Maître Nivert),
Albert Rémy (Henri),
Frédéric Bart (L'inspecteur Perrini),
Gaston Orbal (Demorey),
Jim Gérald (L'agent de Rita Johnson),
Nicole Jonesco (Hélène),
Crésus (Le fiancé d'Hélène),
Jack Ary (Le gendarme de garde),
Catherine Gay (Rita Johnson),
Robert Vattier (Le juge d'instruction),
Christian Duvaleix (Robert Trémieux),
André Dalibert (Spectateur du strip-tease)
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 90 min
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