Le Bossu is a French-Italian adventure film starring Jean Marais and directed by André Hunebelle. The film also featured Bourvil, possibly the most popular French comedian of the time. So successful was the formula that Hunebelle teamed up the same two actors for his next adventure film, Captain Blood.[2]

Le bossu
Directed byAndré Hunebelle
Written byJean Halain dialogue
Pierre Foucaud
André Hunebelle
Based onLe bossu
by Paul Féval
Produced byPaul Cadeac d'Arbaud
StarringJean Marais
Bourvil
Sabine Sesselmann
CinematographyMarcel Grignon
Edited byJean Feyte
Music byJean Marion
Release dates
  • November 26, 1959 (1959-11-26) (Eastern Germany)

January 13, 1960 (1960-01-13)
(France)
Running time
104 minutes
CountriesFrance
Italy
LanguageFrench
Box office5,845,980 admissions (France)[1]

Plot

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Duke Philippe de Nevers (Hubert Noël) is an influential and popular man who is married to a beautiful wife called Isabelle (Sabine Sesselmann). His rival Philippe de Gonzague (François Chaumette) hates him enough to organise an attempt on him. The Duke is accompanied by Henri de Lagardère (Jean Marais) when de Gonzague's henchmen altogether attack him. Lagardère cannot save his friend because the both of them are hopelessly outnumbered. He has to escape in order to save the Duke's daughter and swears revenge. Together with his old buddy Passepoil (Bourvil) he raises the little girl in Spain. At the same time he returns frequently to France where he detects confronts his friend's murderers and puts them to the sword one by one until only their former leader is left. Finally he discovers that Philippe de Gonzague is the man for whom he is looking.

Production

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The film was shot between May 19 and July 28 in the "Franstudio" of Saint-Maurice and in the Pyrénées-Orientales. The scene showing how three henchmen are sent to Spain for Lagardère and the duke's daughter were shot at the Pont du Diable (Céret).
Maître d'armes André Gardère was the accountable instructor concerning the choreography of all fencing scenes.
Guy Delorme, who would play Comte de Rochefort in Bernard Borderie's 1961 version of The Three Musketeers appears here as a henchman.
Sabine Sesselmann was dubbed by Gilberte Aubry (as Aurore de Nevers) and Jacqueline Porel (as Isabelle de Caylus).

Cast

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Actor Character
Jean Marais Henri de Lagardère alias le Bossu
Bourvil Passepoil
Sabine Sesselmann Aurore de Nevers
Isabelle de Caylus
François Chaumette Philippe de Gonzague
Jean Le Poulain Monsieur de Peyrolles
Hubert Noël Duke Philippe de Nevers
Paulette Dubost Lady Marthe
Paul Cambo Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Edmond Beauchamp Don Miguel
Georges Douking Marquis de Caylus
Guy Delorme henchman

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Box Office Figures for Jean Marais films". Box Office Story.
  2. ^ Films de France: Le Bossu (1960)
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