Gendarme de Saint-Tropez series

(In French, On TV, March 2019) It’s not rare for artists and entertainers to have golden years where things suddenly click for them: during that time, they star in multiple memorable projects and clearly define the shape of their career. Jim Carrey’s 1994, for instance. Or, closer to this review, Luis de Funès’ 1964 in which he starred in both Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez and Fantômas—initial instalments of two series that would cement his acknowledged talent into superstardom, first in France and then across the world. No less than six films would eventually form the Gendarmes series chronicling the adventures of a police department in the vacation town of Saint-Tropez and its high-strung maréchal played by de Funès in top form. If you’ve never been exposed to de Funès typical brand of tightly wound hyperactive martinet-ish humour, then this is one of the films to see… even if he’s positively restrained and down-to-earth here compared to later, wilder instalments of the series. After a fake-out in the form of a black-and-white prologue, the film moves to very sunny and colourful cinematography once the protagonist makes it to the French Riviera. The plot itself remains humdrum at first, and pick up once the protagonist gets to protect his daughter and the setups finally come into play. Still, this is de Funès’s show, and the film would a much lesser one without him. This being said, let’s not dismiss out of hand the rather wonderful atmospheric look that this film offers at the mid-1960s south coast of France, complete with nudists, tourists and art thievery. Finally, let’s not discount the formidable earworm that remains “Douliou-douliou Saint-Tropez.” Sure, de Funès is the biggest reason to see Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez, but not quite the only reason.