L'aventure, c'est l'aventure (1972)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Claude Lelouch

Writers:

Claude Lelouch (writer)
Pierre Uytterhoeven (collaborator)

Release Date:

4 May 1972 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

When they realize the times are changing, five crooks decide to switch from bank robberies to personality abductions...

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | Absurdism | Hijack

Cast

Lino Ventura	...	Lino Massaro
Jacques Brel	...	Jacques
Charles Denner	...	Simon Duroc
Johnny Hallyday	...	Himself / En personne
Charles Gérard	...	Charlot
Aldo Maccione	...	Aldo
Nicole Courcel	...	Nicole
Yves Robert	...	L'avocat de la défense
André Falcon	...	L'ambassadeur
Juan Luis Buñuel	...	Ernesto Juarez (as Jean-Louis Bunuel)
Gordon Heath
Prudence Harrington	...	La femme de l'ambassadeur (as Prudence Harington)
Maddly Bamy	...	Une vacancière (as Madly Bamy)
Sophie Boudet	...	Une vacancière
Annie Ho	...	Une vacancière (as Any Hau)

Also Known As:

L'avventura è l'avventura (Italy)
Money Money Money

Runtime:

France:120 min | Spain:118 min | USA:113 min | Argentina:120 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | Italian | Spanish | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Les Films 13

Movie Connections:

Featured in Geburtstagskinder der Nouvelle Vague (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

L'aventure c'est l'aventure

Lelouch is Lelouch

Five lousy gangsters are sick of constantly stealing money from banks and decide to specialize themselves in abduction of celebrities or important people. First, they kidnap Johnny Hallyday (who in the film sings the song that is sourced from the title of the film), then they fly down to South America where they confine illegally an ambassador for a revolutionary. Thus, they pocket enough dough to go on holiday in the Carabbean.

This comedy from Claude Lelouch bears his trademark. Everything is conceived and made with a naive perspective from the steps of the narration which seem sometimes approximative and lame in spite of its simple linearity to the moral of the film that celebrates complete disengagement in favor of money. The filmmaker didn't jettison gratuitous effects and sometimes, the actors don't properly pronounce their cues; so you have to be very attentive to decipher what they say. But, the film has funny moments and Lelouch wields nonsense with quite efficiency. His virtuosity with camera makes up a bit for the drawbacks of the story aforementioned and I will add this extra one: the cast is patchy. Lino Ventura is as usual great but Jacques Brel... well I largely favor him as a singer, songwriter. His talent in acting is another story.

Lelouch is Lelouch and this cynical comedy will rejoice his fans. If you're looking for a film rigorously made, it's not the right one.