LA GRANDE VADROUILLE is an adventurous war comedy that breaks the political and military myths while glorifying the heroism of ordinary citizens. Of course, in a hilarious comic way. The aim of this film is, perhaps, to return a smile to the face of generations who has survived the occupation during the World War II.A Royal Air Force bomber becomes lost after a mission and is shot down over Paris by German flak. Three of the crew, parachute out over the city and manage to hide from German soldiers. They found allies in a romantic painter, nervous conductor, resourceful puppeteer and brave nun, who have decided to help the airmen in their escape to a free zone...This film has offered a kind of comic tension, which is closer to a Hollywood blockbuster than a European film. The scenery is very rich, while the photography is beautiful. The plots, although predictable, are very exciting. National stereotypes, although the protagonists are the French and the British, did not become a subject of comedy. That's good, because, a comedy of absurd is presented in an universal way. There is some truly hilarious situations as a homoerotic encounter in a Turkish baths, a spectacular chase, or a "fiery" night in a hotel. The characterization is not bad.André Bourvil (Augustin Bouvet) and Louis de Funès (Stanislas Lefort) are two artists, who are constantly in a petty-bourgeois conflict. Their struggle is the most entertaining aspect of the film.This is a very good comic contrast, which is, from time to time, complete with exciting action sequences.

I can't say I find the film particularly funny, but it interested me because perhaps it shows the difference between French and British humour. À chacun son goût - to each his own taste - of course, and to my taste the film had too much farce, too much slapstick, and too little subtlety of humour. It was like being hit with a humour-hammer rather than being amused intelligently.I have to confess that I didn't laugh once, nor, as far as I'm aware, even manage to raise a smile. I can't imagine that a film of this type would have been the most popular in the UK for as long as it was in France. I was previously unaware of the work of Bourvil and de Funés (sorry, but their constant over-acting did nothing for me) but I certainly knew of Terry Thomas's films, and he was capable of far better than this.I loved the Burgundy scenery, though, and I was happily transported back to holidays in the Côte d'Or and a visit the old hospital at Beaune.

I saw this movie first when I was 12. Revisiting it 25 years later, I could now reassess and reaffirm what I already knew: it's simply best in class! Nobody can do comedy like the French (sorry Hollywood, it's in their culture since Moliere, before America even existed), and this is one of the best French comedies ever. But it's not just the hilarious scenes (of which there are plenty; the short tea-for-two Turkish baths scene is a masterpiece), but every single element of it shines: the story, the timeless De Funes/Bourvil duo, the gorgeous scenery, the score, the universal appeal with not just French but also British actors and the sense of camaraderie that creates... But above all, the unbridled optimism that permeates every single shot, making the entire film such an uplifting experience! Feeling depressed, lonely, aggressive? Watch this movie! Show it to all kids as they grow up and the world will become a better place!

In my opinion, nothing can top the De Funes' films "Jo" and "Oscar" as far as sheer comedic brilliance, but this one is a true delight. One of the funniest scenes in any movie is when Bourvil and De Funes arrive at a hotel where they are supposed to meet their friends who will help them get safe passage to the southern free zone in France. They enter a darkened hotel eating area and they see lighted candles in the distance. Someone switches on the light and they find themselves in the midst of about three dozen German soldiers celebrating their General's birthday. The hotel owner and a young woman pretend that Bourvil and De Funes are their husbands and give them a dressing down for being late for their chores. But the German General says that women should not wear the pants and he invites them to join his party. Bourvil and De Funes, exhausted from their day long trek through the French countryside must join in a chair dance, where all the German soldiers play horsie on their chairs in single file around the tables. De Funes looks like an old man about to keel over as he rides his chair among the Germans. It's wonderfully funny.