The comedy revolves around the satisfying ridicule of the Nazi soldiers, the innocent, and slightly clueless bravery, of the two Frenchmen and a strong, almost ‘Carry On’ line in slapstick physical humour. The pair reunite the three crewmen and get them out of Paris to the free zone in the south of the country, along the way aided by nuns, hotel owners and Juliette, a puppet show operator played by Marie Dubois. Stanislas Lefort and Augustine Bouvet, a conductor at the Opéra National de Paris and a house painter, played by Funès and Bourvil respectively, are thrown together to form an unlikely rescue mission. After becoming lost following a bombing raid, three Royal Air Force crewmen bail out over Paris. Released on its 50 th Anniversary by StudioCanal, ‘La Grande Vadrouille’ (1966) is a French comedy set during the Nazi occupation that stars Louis de Funès, André Bourvil and Terry Thomas. ❉ Gérard Oury’s 1966 comedy fully restored to mark the 50th anniversary of one of the most popular films in French history.
