Apart from the swashbuckling and the distracting beauty of Marie Gillain, this film has two particular merits.1. Daniel Auteuil - who demonstrates a noble character who plays so well the part of the hunchback, and in such contrast to his portrayal of tragic Ugolin in Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources.2. Fabrice Luchini - who must truly rank among the finest villains ever portrayed on screen and whose final comeuppance is difficult to see without a cry of "YES!".I would hazzard that this is watchable even if one does not understand French. The action and characterisation carry it along so well.As an introduction to the sheer quality of French cinema, this is a very good place to start.

"On Guard!" is a delightful saga of a swashbuckling soap, in French, at the capable hands of veteran director Philippe De Broca. I still remember his most entertaining "That Man From Rio" 1964, with adorable Jean-Paul Belmondo and matching comedic tempo of Francoise Dorleac - it was such fun ('tis before the James Bond flicks becoming an annual feverish affair).What drew me to "Le Bossu" (The hunchback - film's title in French) was mainly due to the 'extraordinaire' Daniel Auteuil, who's the central lead in the film. I first remember him not from "Manon of the Spring" 1987 (as Gerard Depardieu was the star) but from his portrayal of Lacenaire in "The Elegant Criminal" 1990. There's also the ever suave and attractive Vincent Perez (it's the second time seeing him acting opposite Auteuil - they were both in "Queen Margot" 1994; if you haven't seen him in the epic "Indochine" 1992 with Catherine Deneuve, go for it). And in the nemesis role, Fabrice Luchini aptly portrayed the treachery of it all. (He was fascinating to watch in director Patrice Leconte's "Intimate Strangers" 2004, playing opposite Sandrine Bonnaire.) So with the wonderful script co-written by De Broca himself, witty dialog and intriguing plot turns, it's simply irresistible not to check out "On Guard!" It's available on DVD from Empire Pictures - Koch Lorber Films, and there are behind the scenes extras with interviews of the director, the trio of main actors and actress Marie Gillain, in French with English subtitles option.Music is by the omnipresent maestro Philippe Sarde, with inclusion of strains from Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana". By the way, there's another famous Philippe included in the cast: Noiret, indeed.

I eagerly rented this DVD because I'm such an admirer of the workof Daniel Auteuil. I enjoy a good swashbuckling yarn and this onehas all the elements in place. A terrific basic plot, with most of thecontrivances well covered up, a marvelous and stylish cast,beautiful scenery, splendid costumes, exciting sword fights, andmost of all--Daniel Auteuil at the top of his considerable form. Thisgreat actor can do it all. So why did De Broca saddle the moviewith that icky kiss between a 16 year old girl and the man she hasknown most of her life as her father? There is somethingperversely French going on here, and don't tell me I'm a prude. Auteuil is de Nevers' servant and he give him a sacred mission--tosee that his daughter is safe. Once de Never's insecure brother,superbly played with a low-key insanity by Fabrice Lucini, arranges for his death and abducts his wife, Lagardere (Auteuil)escapes with de Nevers' infant daughter and joins an itinerantcommedia dell'arte troupe and raises Aurore as his own daughter. He teaches her how to fight with a sword. But as the child beginsto grow into a woman, there are sly indications that they mighthave stronger feelings for each other, or rather, she is moreupfront about her crush on him. He chooses to ignore it. Since we are in the world of Alexandre Dumas, the meticulous wayin which Lagardere engineers the revenge of de Nevers, restoringAurore to her mother and her fortune, is both ingenious and a lot offun. By in the last 30 seconds, the movie slipped badly intosomething approaching incest when Aurore plans an intense kisson Lagardere as the movie concludes. Eeeewwww! Lagardere issupposed to be a hero not a pedophile. Auteuil, who has agedwell, is near 50 here, and the lovely Aurore, played by Anne Gillaineis definitely looking well below 20. I was totally creeped out. Up to that moment, this is as enjoyable and fast-paced anadventure film as any I've seen and is without all the ridiculouscomputer-generated nonsense that mar to many contemporaryfilms. In the end, it is the always marvelous Daniel Auteuil that youremember. Without that ending, however, this could have been aclassic.

If you want to escape from the world Le Bossu is a brilliant holiday.The subtitles are badly done as usual - give us Literal Translations please - we are not idiots!The story is a great romping swashbuckler that would make Errol Flynn proud. Perez and Autiel are especially good but the man that steals it is Fabrice Lucini - his voice would give anyone a lesson in French and he is very funny and diabolical - he should be a massive star.This film rollocks along and just shows you don't need complex plots to have a great movie - once again Hollywood scriptwriters - read it and weep... The French and the British are the only ones that can truly do justice to this sort of film.