The One Man Band (1970)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

in essence, nice slice from "70's. atmosphere, songs, dance, relationship. at the first few, a film of Louis de Funes, not real different by many others. but this is its great virtue - a story like pretext, the little tyrannic boss and the young women with plots, secrets, charm, Olivier de Funes in middle of feelings, surprises , using teenager humor, clichés - the Sicilian family - confusion and the clear sky. all the tricks of French cinema. and the same force of seduction. because it is nice, amusing, almost lovely. and because the admiration for the work of de Funes remains at high level. this detail is the most important. and the feeling after the end of film. like delicate flavor of a lost innocent age. so, a good option for relax.

It's obvious that if you're looking for plausible plots in any of Funes' movies aren't the right place to look for. Especially his film is all about the incredible camera and lighting, staging and set design. About the beautiful girls dancing and wearing classic 60ies outfits. In fact it's all about the dancing scenes. The idea having a conversation via singing is purely operatic, used to the extreme by Jacques Demy (Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and again in a different more Funesque way by Alain Resnais in On connaît la chanson!The film looks like it's shot in Technicolor though in the credits only Eastmancolor is mentioned - a film stock unfortunately not available anymore. The colors this film stock produces are to die for - check also i.e. Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series all shot too in Eastmancolor.Watch it and then watch it again;-)

For lovers of this great french comedian this movie is best watched with the remote control in one hand. The story is the typical mix of little choleric Louis (playing the director of an all girl dancing group) who tries to shield them from other men so that the girls won't be distracted from their job. There are a couple of well directed scenes that provide good laughs and Louis delivers the whole range of his facial expressions that alone makes you giggle. However this time the script seems to have lacked enough ideas for a full movie, therefore you will have to sit through plenty of dancing and music and even an almost unbearable singing scene where Louis de Funes sings musical-like. Approx. half of the movie time is being consumed by music, dance and singing only - too much for a comedy.Therefore my advice: skip those dull scenes with the fast forward of your remote control and have a good laugh at Louis while he is really acting (and not dancing or singing).

I saw this film in India in the mid-70s an a dubbed English version called "One Man Band". Louis des Funes was already popular thanks to his "Fantomas" movies and this one is a very inventive comedy. Worth watching and to keep when available. I have been looking for a video of this film for years.