THE MAGNIFICENT ***

4on5 This fantasy co-written by Francis Veber fancy marked several generations with its abundant broadcast on the small screen for twenty years. Forty years after (1973), this cartoon is pure recreation, served by the staging of Philippe de Broca, concerned to raise up the stuffing and euphoria, as to penetrate the privacy of his characters. With Jean- Paul Belmondo in the title role, The Magnificent is both a parody of James Bond, a sentimental tale, and maybe even a social comedy (with its libertarian exploiter).

François Merlin (Belmondo) have lonely and sad days, but he ignores thanks to its occupation of author. With the adventures of Bob Saint-Clar, spy to dangerous missions in Mexico, this lunar character size a world where everything belongs to him, where everything can be committed with impunity, never settle an account or confront the reality without not be restricted in his passions - that he also deals with false nonchalance. And that, of course, he takes revenge on those who caused him harm IRL (its editor, its workers failed, his ''mechanic'') or its employees makes fantasies. It's almost the case for Christine (Jacqueline Bisset), a sociology student attracted his novels to write his thesis. But Francis finds himself in competition with his character!

Whimsical comedy with franchouillard accents, The Magnificent has flaws (the '' contrast '' a little heavy, or focus taken by Belmondo to emphasize '' irony '') but they are all corollaries of his great qualities. At the heart of them, always the same engine : the exuberance (any excuse to fireworks), sensitivity (the daily and sometimes pathetic situation of a man is shared) and imagination (the key to everything). The film runs the game of his inspiration : his imagination and his doubts failures ; brutal returns and intrusions of reality (the arrival of his son !). This Magnificent shifted positively surprised and optimistic. This is OSS 117 of its time, bartering wickedness for complacency and praised the dream, the troll comments for authenticity. Every moment has its share of happy histrionics, gags and boiling effusions. Belmondo was the opponent of Alain Delon in the seventies, it could be that of Pierre Richard !

Overall rating 71