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Les Rois du gag
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Wikipedia article
'Les Rois du gag' is a 1985 French comedy film directed by Claude Zidi. It was released on 12 March 1985 in France.
Plot
Paul Martin and Franois Leroux are brothers-in-law, friends, room-mates and gagmen without fame. But one day, one of the most famous television comics, Gatan, who has just laid off two of his gagmen considered too old and not original enough, finds himself in the little theatre where Paul and Franois produce themselves under the name of "Gagsters". Having come to meet Georges Khorseri, a mate of Paul and Franois, he assists for the first part at their duet. Seduced by their style, he hires them.
For both of them, it is the beginning of the fame, but Gatan has a hard time to convince his wife, the shrewish Jacqueline, that he loves his troublemaker job, because she dreams of his as the role of the prestigious director Robert Wellson (a grotesque pastiche between Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick), who will soon shoot his latest masterpiece near Paris.
Cast
* Michel Serrault ... Gatan / Robert Wellson
* Grard Jugnot ... Paul Martin
* Thierry Lhermitte ... Franois Leroux
* Macha Mril ... Jacqueline
* Mathilda May ... Alexandra
* Didier Kaminka ... Ren
* Coluche ... Georges Khorseri
* Maurice Baquet ... Robert
* Pierre Doris ... Jean
* Carole Jacquinot ... Catherine Martin
* Ticky Holgado ... the man who files a claim for injuries
* Pierre Tchernia ... the Csars host
* Claude Brasseur ... himself at the Csar (uncredited)
* Philippe Noiret ... himself at the Csar (uncredited)
* Pierre Richard ... himself at the Csar (uncredited)
Cultural references and parodies
The program and the character of Gatan were freely inspired of the humour programs of the period hosted by Stphane Collaro and his team in the mid-1980s with 'The Collaro Show' and Benny Hill.Vincent Chapeau, 'Claude Zidi, en toute discrtion'.
The director Robert Wellson is a parody of Orson Welles, with close resemblances with Jean-Luc Godard and Frederico Fellini.
On the filming stage of Robert Wellson (Michel Serrault), Jacqueline (Macha Mril), the spouse of Gatan (also Michel Serrault), recommends to the make-up artist not to put too much face powder on the face of her husband, arguing that his character "comes out of the sewers, not from La Cage aux Folles".
Production
At the beginning, the scenario was written by Les Charlots and Michel Serrault but because of a problem between the group and the director, the film was re-written for Grard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte.
The role of Georges, the hysterical comic, was portrayed by Coluche who made one of his last film appearances before his tragical death on motorcycle.
Claude Brasseur, Philippe Noiret, Pierre Richard and Pierre Tchernia appeared in their own role during a sketch of fake awards.
References
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