What happens when an assassin, a jealous husband, and a love-sick psychiatrist cross paths? Watch A Pain in the Ass (L'emmerdeur in the original French title) and find out.
I'm not sure how many U.S. viewers are familiar with this French comedy classic, but the movie was a smash hit when it debuted in 1973, fifty-three years ago. That makes the film sound old. There is nothing old about this movie. It is hilarious. The humor is timeless, impossible to date. The actors are so good that I'm going to look up other material in which they have been featured.
There have been four remakes: one in France, one in the U.S., one in Turkey, and one in India. I cannot imagine any two actors carrying this comedy off as effectively as the two leads in this movie: Jaques Brel and Lino Ventura.
I think some clips I'm posting here are in French. The movie, as I watched it, had English subtitles. Don't let that deter you. The reading doesn't get in the way. So much of this comedy is based on the physical antics of the actors that the words almost don't matter. Of course, they do help to explain the action.
Lino Ventura (now deceased) was known in Italy for playing tough guy roles. Physically he reminds me of Luca Brasi in The Godfather.
Lino Ventura (Public domain photo by Angelo Diligio)
Jaques Brel was (now deceased) a well-known Belgian singer. He had a rather odd physiognomy. The first things I noticed when he appeared on the scene were his teeth--and a rather silly hairstyle. Here is a clip of him singing (not from the movie):
The physical contrast between these two actors is an essential element in the comedy. Both play up these distinctions. I don't think there is one scene where Ventura, as Milan the assassin, smiles. Brel, as Pignon, the jealous husband, almost pantomimes his reactions.
Chief credit for this film may go to the director, Édouard Molinaro, because the timing in every scene, is impeccable. It is a truism that in comedy it's all about timing. Molinaro has an impressive list of movies to his credit. I'll be sure to check them out.
So what is that happens, what is the plot that offers the actors and the director the opportunity to provide such hilarity? Most of the action takes place in the space of one day.
The plot is simple, and familiar. A star witness in a criminal trial is targeted for assassination. It's a mob trial and the witness must be prevented from testifying. Hence the need for assassination.
The movie opens with a mixup. The wrong man is murdered when a car bomb explodes. Of course, the witness was the target, but he watches from a window because his wife has given the car keys to the building attendant. This should be a tragic scene, but somehow it's not, because of the mix-up and the demeanor of the actors.
The misadventure with the car bomb brings Milan, a no-nonsense thug, into the movie. He has arrived to fix the mess created by the bungled assassination attempt. This thug has an intimidating aspect that puts people on notice. He settles in a hotel across from the courthouse where the witness is scheduled to appear. At this point, we don't know why he is in the hotel, but when he assembles a long gun we have no doubt about his mission. He is going to shoot the witness from the vantage of a hotel window.
This is serious stuff, and Milan is a serious men, who no doubt can do the job. But he hasn’t met Pignon (Brel) yet.
Pignon is a disrupter. When we first see him he is driving toward the hotel, the very hotel in which Milan is plotting to kill the witness. Pignon, apparently, is not a serious man. He has a teddy bear in the back seat of his car and the bear’s eyes light up. Plastic flowers are draped across the car's dashboard. It’s pouring rain, and there is a hitchhiker on the road that everyone passes, including Milan. But Pignon doesn't pass by. Oh no. He opens his door with a smile and welcomes this stranger into his car.
Not only is Pignon unserious, but he is also a nice chap. A nice chap with a purpose. He is as determined in his mission as is the assassin.
Pignon has been jilted by his wife. She has left him for her psychiatrist. The wounded husband is consumed with the goal of getting his wife back. If he can't do that, he is going to kill himself. When he does kill himself, he is going to make it a grand gesture that gets his wife's attention.
This dramatic, attention-seeking man checks into a room that adjoins the assassin's room. What can go wrong?
Everything.
Milan's success and survival depend on discretion. He must not be discovered. The tension of the movie is established: histrionic Pignon is juxtaposed to phlegmatic Milan. Soon the two characters will become inextricably entwined.
Pignon tries to hang himself with a window cord from a bathroom pipe. The pipe bursts, of course and water pours under Milan's door. Milan cannot open the connecting door so he must call the hotel attendant. When they discover that Pignon has attempted suicide, the attendant insists on calling the police.
The police! Milan is an assassin. He has to kill someone in a couple of hours. He can't have the police. So, he promises the attendant that he will give Pignon the care and attention he needs.
This improbable relationship provides for the comic scenes that follow. Milan cannot shake the neurotic Pignon.
How does this movie end? Is the witness assassinated? Does Pignon regain the affections of his wife? None of these plot points matter. In the end we are left with a perfect resolution, one that will inevitably continue the fraught relationship between Milan and Pignon.
Some minor roles deserve mention here. The hotel attendant buzzes around like a bumble bee and won’t be swatted away. Francesco 'Nino' Castelnuovo (now deceased) is perfect in that role. The psychiatrist, Dr. Fuchs, played by Jean-Pierre Darras (deceased) does a wonderful job of acting more irrational than his patients. Louis, Pignon’s wife, played by Caroline Cellier (deceased) is the least memorable of these characters.
I watched the movie on Kino Film, which I subscribe to on Amazon Prime Video. Kino offers some offbeat productions you might not find anywhere else.
Do I recommend this film? If you have my sense of humor, yes. Very much so.
