On the occasion of Pierre Richard’s 86th birthday, a look back at three cult roles of the actor who has to his credit no less than 55 years of screen career.
A true icon of French cinema, Pierre Richard has carved out a special place for himself in the hearts of moviegoers by often embodying inveterate blunders, as endearing as they are hilarious. Invited to sign the preface to his autobiography “Je ne sais rien, mais je dire tout” published in 2015, his friend Gérard Depardieu took his hat off to a “tragedian who hides behind the mask of humor, funny even when he doesn’t. dont play “. Light on three unforgettable roles of the one who knew how to transmit to several generations his love for comedy.
Pierre Richard’s first real big commercial success, “The Big Blond with a Black Shoe” quickly established him as the worthy successor of two other specialists in burlesque humor: Louis de Funès and Jean Lefebvre. Taken for a formidable secret agent, a rather dizzy and blundering violinist must escape many traps. Its best asset? His awkwardness, which intelligence specialists take for a carefully considered strategy. Crowned with several prizes during its broadcast in foreign festivals, “Le Grand Blond avec une Shoe Noire” will total more than 3 million admissions on French soil alone and will be followed by a sequel, which will also meet with success.
The first film to bring together Pierre Richard and Gérard Dépardieu, “La Chèvre” marks the beginnings of a tandem that will mark the 1980s. Pierre Richard plays François Perrin, an unlucky accountant charged by his boss to find the latter’s daughter , kidnapped in Mexico. For this perilous mission, he is escorted by the private detective Campana (Depardieu) who will discover at his expense the disastrous consequences of the bad luck which constantly strikes his sidekick … More than thirty years after its release, Francis Veber’s film is still considered as one of the best French comedies. A success that shone internationally, since in 1991 an American remake called “Danger Public” was released with Danny Glover and Martin Short.
Pierre Richard takes on the role of Francis Veber’s favorite character: François Pignon. For this second film in the company of his friend Gérard Depardieu, Pierre Richard plays a suicidal and depressed teacher to whom an ex-companion (Anny Duperey) asks to find a runaway son whose existence he had not known until then. A son who may not really be his, since a journalist by the name of Jean Lucas, willingly hitter, has received the same mission. Both convinced to be the father of the child, the two men with diametrically opposed characters will join forces to find the missing teenager. As with “The Goat”, “Les Compères” was so successful that an American remake, directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, was produced. Entitled “Funny fathers”, it was released much later, in 1997.
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Source: https://cineday.orange.fr/actu-cine/pierre-richard-a-86-ans-retour-sur-3-roles-culte-CNT000001svYVp.html
Pierre Richard, The Fugitives, Gérard Depardieu, La Chèvre, The ComDads
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