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La Carapate

La Carapate

Movie · 1978 · 6 people

Gérard Oury's light French comedy La Carapate was released in France on 11 October 1978. After Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (1973), Oury had been through unfinished projects and a failed stage play, and here he found a new comic star in Pierre Richard, paired with Victor Lanoux. A burlesque comedy of escape, it drew close to three million viewers. That was below Oury's earlier hits but still a good result.

The story is set amid the confusion of May 1968. A convict sentenced to death escapes, and his lawyer is dragged into the flight against his will. Lanoux plays the fugitive and Richard the lawyer. With the authorities after them, the pair cross France from end to end. Raymond Bussières, Jean-Pierre Darras and Yvonne Gaudeau support them, with Henri Attal, Janine Darcey, Lucienne Legrand and Robert Dalban also in the cast.

Oury wrote the script with his daughter Danièle Thompson. Producer Alain Poiré of Gaumont rejected Oury's first title idea, Y a pas de mai !. Shooting took place in spring 1978 around Paris and in Burgundy, and because the police feared fresh unrest, the barricade scenes were built in a studio. Oury and Richard followed it with Le Coup du parapluie (1980).

DirectorGérard Oury
Production companyGaumont Yapımevi

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Cast

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Henri Attal Henri Attal Actor · died at 67 Janine Darcey Janine Darcey Actor · died at 76 Jean-Pierre Darras Jean-Pierre Darras Film actor · died at 71 Lucienne Legrand Lucienne Legrand Actor · died at 102 Robert Dalban Robert Dalban Actor · died at 83 Victor Lanoux Victor Lanoux Film actor · died at 80

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Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The most interesting thing about La Carapate is that it sets an escape comedy in the turmoil of May 1968. A condemned convict and the lawyer dragged unwillingly into his flight cross France from end to end, with the upheaval of the period as their backdrop. The film does not turn those days into serious history; it uses the social unrest mostly as a stage for burlesque chaos, a choice that may feel thin to viewers curious about the era. Even so, the fact that the barricade scenes were built in a studio because the police feared fresh unrest shows how sensitive the subject still was in 1978.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

After unfinished projects and a failed stage play, Gérard Oury finds a new comic star in Pierre Richard, and the pairing with Victor Lanoux becomes the film's engine. The script he wrote with his daughter Danièle Thompson sticks to the mismatched-pair road formula: one man wants to escape, the other wants out of the whole business as soon as possible. The structure is sound but unsurprising; the gags often arrive in a predictable order and the pace sags in the middle of its 100 minutes. On the other hand, when the chase turns into physical comedy, Oury's sense of timing is still intact. Close to three million admissions fell short of his earlier hits but was still a good result, and that sums up the film: not a peak, but an enjoyable stopover from a director who knows his craft.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

La Carapate is a light burlesque comedy built around a chase. Its physical humour can make viewers of any age laugh. But the story is about a condemned man's escape and is set in the confused days of May 1968, so younger children may need a little of that background explained. The lawyer dragged into the flight against his will will especially amuse the adults. A relaxed evening film for families who like old-school comedy.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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