Mireille Darc

(In French, On Cable TV, June 2020) While the French comedy Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire is a well-constructed film from the get-go, it’s impossible to watch today without feeling that all of it depends on Pierre Richard’s lead performance. He seems uniquely suited to the role of a gaffe-prone violinist who gets unknowingly dragged into the great deadly game of espionage. His befuddlement is hilarious, and he plays the material he’s given so convincingly that you’ll nearly forget the slickness of the script, the unobtrusive talent of writer-director Yves Robert, or the decent production means invested in the film. A further proof of Richard’s domination of the role is found in the American remake, The Man with One Red Shoe, which stars the capable Tom Hanks and features even better production means, but can’t quite reach the comedy of the original. It’s all quite silly, faster paced than many comedies of the era, and features Mireille Darc in a jaw-dropping dress. French comedy is often pretty good, but Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire is even better than most.