The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

The British films have their flavor with mysteries but the French have the Gallic way of infusing humor in the most unlikely manner that the mysteries become terrific platforms of French humor at its finest. Film Movement is re-releasing this 1972 gem of a film and it hasn't lost a bit of its allure. Written by Francis Veber and writer/director Yves Robert this little pastiche is a treasure. Two factions of the French Secret Service (Jean Rochefort and Bernard Blier) involve a seemingly normal but hapless orchestra player, François Pignon (Pierre Richard), into their battle as one side uses him as a decoy by being identified as a super secret agent.. Soon, agents are all over the place, and one of them, Christine (Mireille Darc), is sent to seduce François. Meanwhile, François has his own problems, tangled up in an affair with his best friend's wife.This is French comedy/mystery at its best and it is just as radiant today as it was in 1972!

Pierre Richard at his best. The movie has both verbal and slapstick comedy scenes which are some of his best. Mireille Darc when she turns her back to hapless Pierre. The dead bodies everywhere (including the refrigerator). A great comedy if you can understand the French.Now finally available in a collected set of DVDs"Coffret Le Grand blond - 2 DVD Le Grand blond avec une chaussure noire - Le Retour du grand blond De Yves Robert Avec Pierre Richard, Jean Rochefort, Mireille Darc DVD Zone 2 - Pal. 2 volumes"But for the English speakers - you may have to check out the Web to find some subtitles - product available from www.FNAC.com in France.

After years of trying to get a copy of this wonderful movie and checking on Amazon, suddenly it became available on VHS at Amazon last summer and I ordered a copy. What arrived, is NOT an original studio release. Instead it was a generic tape with a typed white label. When I put it in to view, what I found was a very grainy image with a dubbed English soundtrack. I was very disappointed. My guess is that someone found a copy of the 1972 poor U.S. release at a flea market somewhere and has taken a position that the copyright has entered the public domain after 28 years as per statutory section 17 USC 303 of the copyright law and is publishing copies of that worn out flea market copy.

It's been many years since I saw this one, but it just "tickled my fancy." The US remake with Hanks and Belushi was ok, but the original had more spark. (I think casting Hanks and Belushi was as close as we could get to the original with big name actors. It was like seeing your friends perform "Taming of the Shrew".) The physical comedy of the best friend makes this good story even better.