La Belle Américaine

• Louis de Funes: Frères Viralot / Secretary / Head of Human Resources
• Jean Lefebvre: Chougnasse
• Guy Grosso: Barbe Mont
• Michel Modo: Slovak
• Christian Marin: Pierrot
• Jean Carmet: Burglar
• Annie Ducaux: Madame Lucanzas
• Serrault: Chavau
• Colette Brosset: Paulette Perrignon
• Bernard Lavalette: Trade Minister
• Pierre Dac: The Colonel
• Robert Dhéry: Marcel Perrignon
• Claude Piéplu: Me Fachepot, the notary
• Alfred Adam Alfred
• Jacques Legras: Riri

The great American (OT: La belle américaine ) is a French comedy film from 1961 by Robert Dhéry.

Action

The workers of Paris Marcel Perrignon buys as a replacement for his broken car for only 500 francs a large, American car of Madame Lucanzas. This is the betrayed wife of a businessman who has an affair with his secretary; the low price is an act of revenge, even so the car does not fall into the hands of the rival. Perrignon brings the new car out of luck: Because his employer Viralot can not stand that one of his employees drives a bigger car than himself, he is released from the company. Later, he is stopped by two police officers who find it strange that an unemployed drives an expensive car. You see against a jaunt by car but by a display from.

In order to secure his financial livelihood to Perrignon registers with a competition for the most elegant appearance, in which a million francs in prize money are awarded. However, he fails miserably, as the battered him bulldog brings the race by another. A little later he received a job as a chauffeur just the secretary, for which he originally got his car from Madame Lucanzas. When he refuses to transfer title to her his car, she locks him unceremoniously into the trunk and leaves are the vehicle in a neighborhood of Saint Germain. After he was able to free itself, it leads to an accident in which he travels the Minister of Economy in the car. As compensation invites him this one on a dinner of the high society of France.

Perrignon gets drunk at the event and can not remember where he had parked the car. He shall then display will initially erroneously himself arrested and released again, Madame Lucanzas is instead arrested. The car is finally found by a river and released all suspects. Some time later it Perrignons wife the car at a bank, where he rolled into the water. All are shocked, except Perrignon itself, inspires this accident opening an ice cream parlor.

Background

The car used in the film is a white Oldsmobile 88 Model 1959.

The film was shot on to the final scene in black and white, the final vision of the future of the protagonist was filmed in color.

Criticism

" Pick-me - folk comedy, the peppy and carefree combines slapstick and lovingly ironic swipes against the ways of life of French suburbanites. "