I can't fully agree with the previous commenter, who dismisses this out of hand although I do concur that it is far from Clouzot's best. It is, I'm afraid, very much the old story - the previous commenter is resident in France where it's possible to see great French vintage movies almost nightly on television whilst I am resident in England where even London is starved of French cinema - if we get 20 French titles a year we're lucky and the majority of those are new releases. Personally I'm not about to turn my nose up at ANY film which boasts Louis Jouvet, Saturnin Fabre, Pauline Carton, Bourvil and Daniele Delorme amongst its cast. This, to my mind, is a charming 'boulevard' piece involving two lovers - Bourvil and Delorme - one uncle (Fabre) and one mother (Carton) applying a joint spoke to their amorous wheel as Louis Jouvet quietly chews the scenery as a ham actor almost as bad as Charles Laughton or Donald Wolfit in their prime. So though it's not in the same league as Le Corbeau, Quai des Orfevres, Le Salaire de la peur or Les Diaboliques it is equally equidistant from chopped liver.
4 Reviews
Watch it anyway!
didierfort13 March 2013
All right, this is not exactly what one is looking for when watching Clouzot's stuff.
But actors are under control, pace is fast, the story raises many smiles, everybody is doing a very fine job with all the necessary craftsmanship.
All in all, it's probably the weakest of Clouzot's creations, but a very good, pleasant and smiling movie, above the average, as a light hearted comedy, of French (or anywhere else) cinema of the early 50's.
And seriously, how could anybody refuse to watch the trio Jouvet-Fabre-Bourvil?
But actors are under control, pace is fast, the story raises many smiles, everybody is doing a very fine job with all the necessary craftsmanship.
All in all, it's probably the weakest of Clouzot's creations, but a very good, pleasant and smiling movie, above the average, as a light hearted comedy, of French (or anywhere else) cinema of the early 50's.
And seriously, how could anybody refuse to watch the trio Jouvet-Fabre-Bourvil?
Faux pas.
dbdumonteil22 July 2003
This is ,among Clouzot's relatively small filmography (11 movies) ,the most disappointing effort.There's nothing from his magic touch here.Reigning supreme over French suspense movies ("le corbeau" "diaboliques" "le salaire de la peur"),his art becomes ineffective when it comes to bittersweet albeit bland comedies like this one.The good cast (Louis "quai des orfèvres" Jouvet,Bourvil and Danielle Delorme does not make up for this trite story of an ingenue and these light-hearted gallantries .Probably the only Clouzot movie which is not worth watching.
the only known comedy by Clouzot
happytrigger-64-3905172 June 2020
Like Hitchcock who directed one comedy in Usa, Clouzot directed that boulevard with an exceptional casting : Jouvet, Bourvil, volcanic Danièle Delorme, ... and the always exceptionaly funny Saturnin Fabre, who has a part all through the movie and at his best. Miquette ... is very pleasant and fast paced, Clouzot could only succeed with this brilliant casting. I know from local villagers that the atmosphere on "les Diaboliques" shooting was tragic, but on Miquette..., Clouzot was happy and smiling (written on local newspapers with pictures), so yes Miquette... is an exception in his filmography. Not to be missed for that poker of actors, and I say it again, Saturnin Fabre.
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