| Jean Gabin | ... | Grandgil | |
| Bourvil | ... | Marcel Martin | |
| Jeannette Batti | ... | Mariette Martin | |
| Georgette Anys | ... | Lucienne Couronne, la patronne du cafe Belotte | |
| Robert Arnoux | ... | Marchandot | |
| Laurence Badie | ... | La serveuse du restaurant | |
| Myno Burney | ... | Angèle Marchandot | |
| Germaine Delbat | ... | Une cliente du restaurant | |
| Monette Dinay | ... | Madame Jambier | |
| Jean Dunot | ... | Alfred Couronne, le patron du cafe Belotte | |
| Bernard La Jarrige | ... | Un agent de police (as Bernard Lajarrige) | |
| Jacques Marin | ... | Le patron du restaurant Saint Martin | |
| Hubert de Lapparent | ... | L'otage nerveux | |
| Hans Verner | ... | Le motard (as Jean Verner) | |
| Hugues Wanner | ... | Le père de Dédé (as Hugues Waner) | |
| Louis de Funès | ... | Jambier, l'épicier | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Martine Alexis | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Béatrice Arnac | ... | La femme arrêtée (uncredited) | |
| Paul Barge | ... | Le paysan (uncredited) | |
| Georges Bever | ... | Un consommateur (uncredited) | |
| René Brun | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Anne Carrère | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Yvonne Claudie | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Anne Cuvelier | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Yvette Cuvelier | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Anouk Ferjac | ... | La jeune fille patriote (uncredited) | |
| Clément Harari | ... | L'otage à lunettes (uncredited) | |
| René Hell | ... | Le père de Jambier (uncredited) | |
| Henri Lambert | ... | Bit part (uncredited) | |
| Albert Michel | ... | Le concierge de la rue de Turenne (uncredited) | |
| Michèle Nadal | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Hubert Noël | ... | Le gigolo arrêté (uncredited) | |
| Maryse Paillet | ... | Une femme au restaurant (uncredited) | |
| Claude Vernier | ... | Le secrétaire de la Kommandatur (uncredited) | |
| Jean Vinci | ... | Le client mécontent (uncredited) | |
| Louis Viret | ... | Le cycliste (uncredited) | |
| Harald Wolff | ... | Le commandant allemand (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Claude Autant-Lara | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Marcel Aymé | (short story) | |
| Jean Aurenche | dialogue | |
| Jean Aurenche | screenplay | |
| Pierre Bost | dialogue | |
| Pierre Bost | screenplay | |
Produced by | |||
| Henry Deutschmeister | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| René Cloërec | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Jacques Natteau | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Madeleine Gug | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Max Douy | |||
Production Management | |||
| André Hoss | .... | unit manager | |
| Yves Laplanche | .... | production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Ghislaine Autant-Lara | .... | first assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Clément Hurel | .... | poster artist (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| René-Christian Forget | .... | sound engineer (as René Forget) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Gilbert Chain | .... | camera operator | |
Other crew | |||
| Geneviève Cortier | .... | script girl | |
| Herman G. Weinberg | .... | English subtitles | |
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| Jeux interdits | Das Boot ist voll | Paris brûle-t-il? | Mr. Klein | Laissez-passer |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Comedy section | IMDb France section | Add this title to MyMovies |
The bringing together of two great comic actors of the calibre of Jean Gabin and Bourvil could not fail to be a great success, but this film surpasses the audience's expectations by several hundred kilometres. For both actors, this is a real tour de force. Bourvil is the hapless stooge to Gabin's outrageously forceful character, and the double act is unbelievably funny. One can't help but have pity for the poor unemployed Parisian as his night-time trudge across Paris is turned into his worst nightmare.
Whilst much of the humour is in the performance of its two stars (joined by Louis de Funes in that amazing cellar scene near the start of the film), the script is well-written and genuinely funny in places. The menace of the Nazi threat is there all the same, and this is heightened by the darkened sets representing a deserted Paris, resounding with the distant tread of the German patrols. The last twenty minutes of the film is a distinct contrast to what preceded it, and the humour appears to fade very quickly into drama. Luckily, our heroes emerge unscathed (possibly), but the threat of what might have been substantially changes one's view of the film.
Needless to say, when this film was released in 1956, scarcely 10 years after the end of the Second World War, it was widely reviled. It presented a view of the occupation that, whilst honest and accurate in retrospect, had never before been seen in French cinema and which was simply too much for many to stomach. Gabin's character was a particular target for scorn, representing a cynical free-thinking attitude that could only be regarded as dangerous and anti-Republican. The film's director, Claude Autant-Lara, should be credited with immense courage in presenting to the French people his perception of the war, unadulterated by the constraints of convention. That he should achieve this through one of the funniest of French films is a remarkable achievement.