Le gendarme et les extra-terrestres (1979)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Jean Girault

Writers:

Richard Balducci (characters)
Gérard Beytout (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

31 January 1979 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The bungling inspector Cruchot (Funès) finds himself trying to save the residents of St. Tropez from some oil-drinking humanoid aliens...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Sun | Saint Tropez | Nun | UFO

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Louis de Funès	...	Maréchal des Logis-chef Ludovic Cruchot
Michel Galabru	...	Adjudant Jérôme Gerber
Maurice Risch	...	Maréchal des Logis Beaupied
Jean-Pierre Rambal	...	Maréchal des Logis Taupin
Guy Grosso	...	Maréchal des Logis Tricard
Michel Modo	...	Maréchal des Logis Berlicot
France Rumilly	...	Soeur Clotilde
Jean-Roger Caussimon	...	L'évêque
Mario David	...	Le voleur du bidon d'huile
Jacques François	...	Le colonel
Maria Mauban	...	Joséfa Cruchot
Madeleine Delavaivre	...	Soeur képi Gerber
Micheline Bourday	...	Mme Cécilia Gerber
Jacqueline Jefford	...	Soeur carrure rugbyman
René Berthier	...	Berthier, l'adjoint du colonel
Henri Génès	...	Le patron du restaurant"Le Cabanon"
Fulbert Janin	...	Bonneval
Marie Pillet
Carlo Nell	...	Le reporter
Jean-Paul Schneider
Jeffrey Kime	...	Le second extra-terrestre de "Cabanon"
Jacques Gheusi
André Badin
Pierre Repp	...	Le garagiste
Antoine Marin	...	L'automobiliste verbalisé
Marco Perrin	...	Le maire de Saint Tropez
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Annet	...	Une extra-terrestre séductrice (uncredited)
Serge Brasseur	...	L'athlète de la plage (uncredited)
Rika Hofmann	...	Une extra-terrestre séductrice (uncredited)
Kate	...	La deuxième Suédoise (uncredited)
Toni Moor	...	L'Américaine (uncredited)
Percival Russel	...	Johnny (uncredited)
Simonetta	...	La première Suédoise (uncredited)
Lambert Wilson	...	L'extra-terrestre qui parle avec Beaupied (uncredited)

Directed by
Jean Girault

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Richard Balducci		characters
Gérard Beytout		adaptation
Louis de Funès		adaptation
Jean Girault		adaptation
Jacques Vilfrid		screenplay
Jacques Vilfrid		story

Produced by
Gérard Beytout	....	producer

Original Music by
Raymond Lefevre

Cinematography by
Marcel Grignon
Didier Tarot

Film Editing by
Michel Lewin

Production Design by
Sydney Bettex

Costume Design by
Jacques Cottin

Makeup Department
Anny Arguedas	....	hair stylist
Anny Arguedas	....	makeup artist
Anatole Paris	....	key hair stylist
Anatole Paris	....	key makeup artist
Marie-Madeleine Paris	....	hair stylist
Marie-Madeleine Paris	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Alain Darbon	....	production manager
Robert Fugier	....	unit manager
Paul Lemaire	....	unit manager
Alex Maineri	....	unit manager
Frédéric Sauvagnac	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hélène Bernardin	....	second assistant director
Jean Couturier	....	second unit director
Patrick Jaquillard	....	first assistant director
Bernard Seitz	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Nady Chauviret	....	set dresser
Marc Desages	....	assistant art director
Jacques Martin	....	property master (uncredited)
Maurice Terrasse	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Marco Cavé	....	sound editor
Jack Jullian	....	sound mixer
Paul Lainé	....	sound
Jean-Pierre Lelong	....	foley artist
Michel Villain	....	sound assistant

Special Effects by
Jacques Martin	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Christian Ange	....	visual effects: Eurocitel (as Christian Angé)
Frédéric Grosjean	....	visual effects: Eurocitel
Alain Le Roy	....	visual effects: Eurocitel
Georges Pansu	....	visual effects: Eurocitel

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Pierre Aliphat	....	assistant camera
Sebastien Chantrel	....	still photographer
Jacques Cherel	....	chief electrician
Michel Jaffredo	....	key grip
Jacques Mironneau	....	camera operator
Gérard Petit	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Michel Valio	....	assistant editor (as Valio)
Michel Cavaglione	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Lucile Costa	....	script supervisor
Georgette Darbon	....	production secretary
Daniele Lutin	....	production assistant
Florence Moncorgé-Gabin	....	script supervisor
Christine Vankeunebrouck	....	administrator
Michel Vimont	....	administrator

Production Companies

• Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)

Distributors

• Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC) (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• Manga Films (2000) (Spain) (VHS)
• Manga Films (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Pearl (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1988) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• TF1 Vidéo (2001) (France) (DVD)
• Tobis (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Eurocitel

Other Companies

• Alga-Samuelson  camera equipment provided by
• Citroën  thanks
• E.M.C.I.  music published by
• Ileard Opera  thanks
• La Belle Jardinière  gendarme uniforms by
• Panavision France  camera equipment provided by
• Pronuptia  thanks
• Radio Téléphonie Motorola  thanks
• S.I.S.  sound post-production

Also Known As:

The Gendarme and the Creatures from Outer Space (UK) (video title)
El gendarme y los extraterrestres (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
De gendarme ziet ze vliegen (Netherlands) [nl]
Il gendarme e gli extraterrestri (Italy) [it]
Louis unheimliche Begegnung mit den Außerirdischen (West Germany) [de]
Mennene fra Mars (Norway) [no]
O Gendarme e os Extra-Terrestres (Brazil) [pt]
O Gendarme e os Extraterrestres (Portugal) [pt]
O horofylakas kai oi exogiinoi (Greece) [el]
Süper jandarma (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Ursäkta var är mitt tefat (Sweden) [sv]
Zandarm i kosmici (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

96 min | Spain:86 min (DVD edition)

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | West Germany:6 (nf) | Argentina:Atp | Norway:11 | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Plage de Pampelonne, Var, France

Company:

Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France : # 49700. Avec l'aimable autorisation de Paul Loup Sulitzer (Domaine de la Capella)

Movie Connections:

Followed by Le gendarme et les gendarmettes (1982)

Simple, but irresistible when you're in the right mood!

Le Gendarme et les Extra Terrestres is one of the last episodes in the "gendarme"-series, situated in the beautiful south of France (St. Tropez).

Louis de Funes again plays Ludovic Cruchot. When his colleague-gendarme Beaupied (Maurice Risch) sees a flying saucer, no one believes him. Not much later however, Cruchot also sees the saucer. The two gendarmes try to convince their colleagues that they must do something to defeat the aliens, especially when it becomes clear that these aliens can copy the looks of anyone they like, including the gendarmes. But how do you catch aliens you can not distinguish from your own colleagues?

Don't complain about the special effects. They are bad. The saucer, when flying, is very poorly pasted in the film, especially in the final scene where it flies over the St Tropez harbor. It doesn't matter, even contributes to the overall fun-factor of this movie.

The movie contains more than enough memorable scenes, that is if you like its kind of humour. De Funes singing in a nuns-choir is hilarious. De Funes patting everybody on the back (to check if they sound hollow) and stabbing his boss in his ass (because he thinks he's an alien) is great. Also the scenes where Baupied's alien look-a like offers him a flower and where De Funes' cap is set on fire by an alien are classics.

The movie gives him enough room to display his famous neurotic character. A must see for fans of De Funes and of French comedy. 7/10 points.