Man in the Trunk (1973)

I love this movie so much

Please don't spend money on this.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Not one of Francis Veber's more famous films (as a screenwriter), probably because it is one of the few that have not been remade in the US, but still an amiable enough diversion. Veber's formula is simple: a funny farcical premise, characters who become more human and likable as you get to know them (played by an engaging cast), and a pacifistic, pro-friendship message . The formula mostly works. **1/2 out of 4.

Being in the mood to watch an easy-going Spy movie,I started searching round my mountains of DVDs,and I spotted a title which I had planned to watch for a poll being held on IMDbs Classic Film board for the best films of 1973,but had never got round to!,which led to me picking up the trunk.The plot:LybiaArriving to the French embassy,Capt. Augier discovers that Israeli secret agent Major Bloch cover has been blown,after Bloch had fallen in love for a girl staying at a hotel called Françoise.With the Libya secret service desperate to get their hands on Bloch,Augier is told that he must get Bloch out of the country,by keeping him hidden in a trunk (which has air holes!) and getting the trunk/Bloch on the plane.Accepting the mission,Augier heads to the airport,with the goal of getting Bloch on the first plane.Reaching the airport,Augier & Bloch are told that the staff have gone on strike,and that there will be no planes for the next few days.Desperate to find a place to stay undercover,Augier decides to book into a hotel,where one of the fellow guests is Françoise.View on the film:Opening with a sweet (if rather naïve) message about how the making of this title shows that people of different faiths can work together in harmony,the screenplay by co-writer/ (along with Francis Veber)director Georges Lautner unleashes a fantastic balance between espionage & fast-pace Comedy.Shoving Bloch into the trunk at every opportunity,the writers give the Bloch/Augier team a charming buddy Comedy,slap- stick atmosphere,which goes from them each spying on the others own interest in Françoise,to Bloch attempting to re- enact his night of passion with Françoise,with Augier.Possibly being the first ever women in a spy film to appear naked,the stunning Mireille Darc gives a very good performance as Françoise,with Darc turning Françoise into a siren,whose every flirty sway over powers any man who sets eyes on her.Chasing after Françoise, Michel Constantin gives a great. grizzled performance as quick-witted Capt. Augier,whilst Jean-Pierre Marielle hilariously sighs at every mishap Bloch faces,as he gets back in the trunk.

'La valise' (= French for 'the trunk') is a lighthearted French comedy from 1973. It centers around a trunk designed to smuggle a person by diplomatic post to another country. Almost inevitably for the politics of those days, its plot is situated in the then current Israeli - Arab conflict.By now this film clearly is covered by a layer of dust. Its theme & humor aren't of our times anymore. Its advertised philosophy of 'free love' has been outdated by AIDS.What remains is the fine quality of its lighthearted storytelling, and .... female lead Mireille Darc. From all participants in 'La valise', Darc is the only one who survived the denting of time. Her appearance still makes this film worth watching.

It is many years ago that I saw this film, but I still remember it as one of the best comedies I ever saw. Mireille Darc is a very attractive heroin of this turbulent, light hearted vaudeville, masterfully directed by George Lautner.