Édouard Molinaro's Une Ravissante idiote | A Ravishing Idiot | Agent 38-24-36 (1964)

Une Ravissante idiote is adapted from the eponymous novel by Charles Exbrayat, who produced a number of (sometimes humorous) policiers. This film is certainly of the humorous variety, and although sometimes a little too much so, this is highly engaging, not at all as bad as the film poster suggests.

Harry Compton (Tony Perkins) is English, although Perkins's French is very good, and much of this film takes place in England, where he falls for Penny Lightfeather (Brigitte Bardot) about the same time as he gets the sack from his job in a bank of Russian origin. So he decides to become a Soviet spy to avenge himself.

Penny is a creature of great beauty but appears to be hopelessly stupid. However, Harry (or whatever Russian name he chooses to call himself) is smitten and it so happens that the spying mission he's given by Bagda (Grégoire Aslan) is to steal vitally important papers from Sir Reginald Dumfrey (André Luguet), and Penny is the seemtress of his gossipy wife Lady Barbara (Denise Provence). And what do you know? Lady Barbara is so gossipy that she gives away the combination of her husband's safe (where the papers are held) to her friends (including Penny), as though Sir Reginald wanted it to be broken into. (Which he did, but that's another story.)

So Harry (assisted by Penny, who apparently also has communist sympathies) try to get the papers, and although the film tips into farce here with the perigrinations and they seem irrecoverably lost to Sir Reginald's safe, Penny seems to be so stupid (and so stupidly successful in telling the truth and getting away with it) that she can't be for real.

Of course, she's not for real and she's a major detective for Great Britain, but then she gets her real man, Harry, and they live happily ever after, of whatever the model (Hollywood) intended. But this is much better than the vast majority of Hollywood movies.

Édouard Molinaro's La Cage Aux Folles (1978)

Édouard Molinaro's La Cage Aux Folles is an adaptation of a play of the same name by Jean Poiret in 1973, which in turn was inspired by Charles's Dyer's Staircase (1966).

Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Michel Serrault) are a homosexual couple who run the drag cabaret La Cage Aux Folles, and in fact live in the same building. Albin shows openly camp behaviour, the flat is full of camp signs, such as Greek statues, a pot shaped as a pair of buttocks, etc. Renato has a son, Laurent (Rémi Laurent), from a brief relationship with a woman and the problem is that Laurent wants to marry Andréa Charrier (Luisa Maneri), the daughter of the ultra straight-laced Simon (Michel Galabru) and Louise (Carmen Scarpitta). Obviously Andréa's parents want to meet Laurent's parents, but another problem is that Simon is député of an ultra-conservative political party.

So Renato has to hide certain incriminating objects, although he's still reluctant to hide Albin away while the future parents-in-law are there. He contacts his previous lover Simone (Claire Maurier) to pose as his husband. In the end the worst happens and Albin turns up for the occasion dressed as a woman, and the future in-laws are naturally shocked by this turn of events. When Simone turns up and Albin's wig is off they soon discover the truth. Meanwhile, journalists outside are waiting for a scoop.

Charrier sees his career in ruins if they leaves by the front of La Cage Aux Folles, although Albin's plan is to dress the Charriers in cabaret, which they do and the marriage takes place.

Obviously a farce resting on disguise, hackneyed stereotyping and gags which today would probably be unacceptable, but interesting as a period piece.