User Reviews

A pleasant 'Road' movie with a twist; the 'roadies' are three geriatrics who are close to persona non grata on their home turf on the strength of their perpetual grouchiness and lack of charisma. One of them hears of a Retirement Home in another town that features wine with meals and improbable though this appears - and is - they decide to walk there. There isn't much more to it and when they arrive they find it is being run by nuns along rigid church-based lines so they cut their losses and go back home. What I didn't say was that the three bums are played by Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay (teaming up again 23 years after Le Grande Illusion) and Noel Noel, a fixture on French screens in the 1940s whose films were mostly 'domestic' so that he was virtually unknown outside France. It was written by Michel Audiard who wrote several screenplays for Gabin and distinguished screenplays for others and whose son is currently the Academic-Pseud axis Poster Boy via a series of pretentious, precious titles.

After seeing the Poverty Row-style Victor (1951-also reviewed),I planned to watch the other two rare Jean Gabbin films I had recently picked up,but ended up misplacing them! Whilst sorting out other movies to view a week later,I was pleased to stumble on the disc,which led to me at last joining the old guard.

View on the film:

Following all the guys on their Road movie-outlook across the countryside paths,Michel Audiard and Gilles Grangier fill every inch of their adaptation of René Fallet's book with witty word-play. Whilst the Eng Subs slow thing down occasionally for explanations of the puns, the writers keep the the flow of the dialogue moving at a lightning speed, with one of the highlights being each time the guys bicker among themselves.

Walking out of town with the trio, director Gilles Grangier & cinematographer Louis Page (who had worked with Gabin on Carne's films) gives their journey a breezy atmosphere,with the grounded humour covered in a relaxed, countryside backdrop. Reuniting from Le Grande Illusion, Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay are joined by Noel Noel in giving utterly charming performances as the trio,with all of them clearly enjoying their snappy exchanges,as they prove the old guard still have it.