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Le Magnifique

Le Magnifique

Movie · 1973 · 15 people

French-Italian spy comedy Le Magnifique ("The Magnificent") dates from 1973 and was directed by Philippe de Broca. English-language markets also know it as The Man from Acapulco; in Germany it was released as Le Magnifique – ich bin der Größte. Running about 94 minutes, it is a pastiche of popular spy cinema, James Bond above all, conceived as a slapstick send-up of cheap examples of the genre and of the men who write them.

At its centre is François Merlin, a shy, broke writer of pulp spy novels. Merlin invents a bolder, more charming double who has none of his shortcomings: the secret agent Bob Saint-Clar. While writing his new novel he turns the people around him into characters, exaggerating his beautiful neighbour Christine into the hero's lover and his publisher Charron into an Albanian villain. Fantasy and reality blur, and a love triangle soon appears in the writer's real life too. Jean-Paul Belmondo plays Merlin, Jacqueline Bisset is Christine and Vittorio Caprioli is Charron. Jean Lefebvre, Hubert Deschamps, Bernard Musson and Lucienne Legrand also appear.

De Broca wrote the screenplay with Vittorio Caprioli and Francis Veber. The film is in French and mixes romantic comedy, parody and action.

DirectorPhilippe de Broca

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Cast

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Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Belmondo Film actor · died at 88 Lucienne Legrand Lucienne Legrand Actor · died at 102 Jacqueline Bisset Vittorio Caprioli André Weber Bernard Musson Bruno Garcin Gaëtan Noël Hans Meyer Hubert Deschamps Jean Lefebvre Jean-Pierre Rambal Louis Navarre Mario David Maurice Auzel

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

A parody of James Bond-style spy films, so there's action, but always with a wink. The jumps between Belmondo's timid writer Merlin and the super-agent Bob Saint-Clar he dreams up keep things moving. At 94 minutes the pace rarely drops. If you want real suspense you may be let down, because everything here is set up for the joke.

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

A funny, colourful spy comedy. The over-the-top scenes and physical comedy may amuse older kids too. But the film also tells a grown-up love triangle, and since it is a Bond parody, expect some scenes with guns and fights. Have a look before watching with little ones. A fun evening film for teens and adults.

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

In Le Magnifique, Philippe de Broca targets less the genre itself than the mind that churns it out: the cuts between a broke writer of cheap spy novels' fantasy and his everyday life are the film's cleverest idea. The script by de Broca, Vittorio Caprioli and Francis Veber turns the publisher Charron into an Albanian villain and the neighbour Christine into the hero's lover, making the writer's desires and resentments visible. Belmondo and Jacqueline Bisset carry both layers with ease. Yet the dose of slapstick sometimes blunts the satire's edge, and the balance between parody and critique isn't struck in every scene. Still, an entertaining pastiche that reflects on creativity itself.

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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