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Le Bossu

Le Bossu

Movie · 1959 · 3 people

André Hunebelle directed Le Bossu, a French-Italian cloak-and-dagger film of 1959. It is based on Paul Féval's novel of the same name, serialised in 1857. Not counting stage versions, it is the seventh of ten known screen adaptations of the story and has been one of the most frequently rebroadcast on French television. It opened in Germany and Italy in 1959 and in France in 1960, running 104 minutes.

The hero, the chevalier Henri de Lagardère, disguises himself as a hideous hunchback to get close to Prince Philippe de Gonzague, the killer of his friend the Duke of Nevers. His aim is to restore, fifteen years later, the full inheritance rights of the duke's daughter Aurore de Nevers. Jean Marais plays Lagardère, with Bourvil, possibly the most popular French comedian of the day, alongside. The cast also includes Sabine Sesselmann, Jean Le Poulain, François Chaumette and Edmond Beauchamp.

The screenplay is credited to Pierre Foucaud, Jean Halain and Hunebelle himself. The Marais-Bourvil formula proved so successful that Hunebelle teamed the same two actors again in his next adventure film. In East Germany the film played in the 1960s as Der Gejagte and elsewhere in German as Ritter der Nacht. The novel was filmed again in 1997 as Duell der Degen.

DirectorAndré Hunebelle

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Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Jean Marais Jean Marais Actor · died at 84 Edmond Beauchamp Actor · died at 85 Dominique Zardi Actor · died at 79

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Through different eyes

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Adapted from Paul Féval's novel, this cloak-and-sword adventure is a tale of heroism, loyalty and a promise kept. Jean Marais's Lagardère is exactly the noble, fearless knight we expect from the old adventure films, and the scenes in his hunchback disguise give him a different colour as an actor. Bourvil's warm presence beside him lightens the whole film. The story of a man who, fifteen years on, tries to restore his friend's daughter to her rights has the firm moral centre of a fairy tale. It is no accident that French television has rebroadcast this version so many times.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

For a 1959 swashbuckler, the setup is surprisingly fun: revenge, disguise and a hidden heir. The hero sneaking up on his enemy disguised as a hunchback builds tension all by itself. But for anyone used to today's pace, the dialogue runs long and the transitions are slow. Trim some of the 104 minutes and it would flow much better.

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

An old-fashioned adventure where good and bad are clearly drawn. It is not an entirely innocent fairy tale, though: a duke is murdered and a knight seeks justice for it. Bourvil's presence softens the mood. It works well with middle-school children and grandparents; with younger ones, it helps to talk about the story's dark starting point first.

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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