Some movies want to tell you a story. "Le Bossu" does not fall into that category : it clearly was made because it represented a safe financial investment and because it worked as a star vehicle for Bourvil and Marais. Technically speaking this is a well-made movie with slick direction, high production values and some fun performances, but it lacks drive and conviction. At times it's like watching enormously expensive paint dry.The central romance, between a hot-blooded yet decent knight-errant and his lovely young ward, has always struck me as unpleasantly inappropriate. It carries disquieting undertones of incest or pedophilia, even when the movie goes out of its way to indicate that the knight-errant never treated the girl with anything less than the most courteous benevolence. Bourvil provides the necessary comic relief while Marais does well as the said knight-errant. What a strange life Marais must have had : in his private life he was gay, while he earned his money by portraying he-man heroes of the "Step back, you villainous cur ! Would you dare to annoy a young lady of good family ?" variety. Paul Féval's source novel is better : it has far more wit, bite, fire and imagination, masterfully evoking a world of court intrigues, financial capers and swashbuckling adventures. Still, it is so clearly a "cape and dagger" novel that its appeal will be limited to people who, like me, enjoy the genre. (One gets born - or not - with this trait, one does not acquire it. It is purely genetic, like the ability to digest milk at an adult age.) Fun tip : the movie's story involves a baby girl of noble blood, growing up in anonimity. At the end of the movie the girl has become a charming beauty, about three or four years younger than her mother.

Entertaining and fun version based on the classic Paul Favel's novel with an intrepid Jean Marais as the famous hunchback . This is the classic version of the known novel with a fine cast headed by handsome Jean Marais as Henri of Lagardere in a brave role as a higher class aristocrat , a dashing swordsman , audacious lover and nimble athlete . The story is set in early 1700s . Lagardere is an aristocrat (Jean Marais) who became a best friend of Duke of Nevers (Hubert Noel) . Nevers' nemesis is the evil Philippe of Gonzague (François Chaumette) . Gonzague, seeking wealth, kills Nevers and Nevers in his dying moments asks Lafardere to care his baby and avenge him , however long that takes . The Prince of Gonzague kills the Duke of Nevers and tries to marry his widow , Lady of Nevers , so he can get his hand on his fortune . The Chevalier Lagardère along with a street urchin named Passepoil (Bourvil who holds the comic relief) take the child Aurore de Nevers / Isabelle of Caylus (one time grown-up Sabine Sesselmann) with them to Toledo , Spain , only to return disguised as a hunchback years later to unmask the Prince for the villain he is . Several years pass . Being deceased Louis XIV , now King of France results to be Louis XV and governs his favorite , the Duke Philippe d'Orléans (Paul Cambo) . In 1717 is appointed ¨the council of family¨ presided by Duke of Orleans to determinate the Nevers's legacy . The Duke of Gonzague has discovered that the two survive and seeks to have them slain . But Lagardère gains the confidence of the Duke as a lucky old man , through his clever disguise as a hunch-back .Spectacular as well as delightful swordplay in colorful style , this is a superior version of the classic Paul Favel novel set in 18th Century France . It's a nice rendition from the immortal novel with pretty budget and breathtaking scenarios . For this new rendition is adapted in the greatest splendor , the complete romance , the historical characters, the full novel just as Paul Favel write it . It is packed with comedy in charge of Bourvil , derring-do , intrigue, a love story , action , drama and moving swordplay . An awesome casting and lavish production shot in French Studios and location make for a fairly amusement swashbuckler . The picture contains rousing action , plenty of crashing , intrigue , romantic adventure , romance , treachery mayhem and a lot of fence . Amusing swashbuckling with lavish production , glamorous gowns and luxurious sets . Furthermore , a vein of humour is evident here , though sometimes falling flat . For this movie itself , though , energetic and frantic are the best adjectives you could think of to describe its attractions . Sympathetic acting by Jean Marais as a wealthy aristocrat disguises himself as an ironic , deformed hunchback in order to avenge a murder . Pleasant performances by main star cast and enjoyable secondary cast , as the marvelous main actors are completed by stellar cast full of good and veteran French players . Colorful cinematography by Marcel Grignon , being stunningly showed on the splendorous images . Evocative and lively musical score by Jean Marion . Glamorous production design is well reflected on the luxurious interiors and exteriors filmed in Château of Pierrefonds, Pierrefonds, Oise, France and Toledo , Spain . The motion picture was professionally realized by Andre Hunebelle . This cool filmmaker provided visual style , comedy , fencing ,drama , clangorous action in equal proportions . This popular novel has been filmed a lot of times , as a silent version in 1925 by Jean Kemm , Argentina version by Leon Klimovsky , Mexican version by Julio Salvador with Jorge Negrete , Italian adaptation titled ¨Son of Lagardere¨ by Fernando Cerchio with Rossano Brazzi as Philippe of Lagardère , French retelling by Jean Delannoy with Pierre Blanchar and the best version titled ¨Le Bossu¨ was directed by Philippe De Broca (1997) with Daniel Auteuil as Lagardère / Le Bossu , Fabrice Luchini as Gonzague , Vincent Perez as Duc of Nevers and Marie Gillain as Aurore . Furthermore , television renditions starred by Bruno Wolkowitch as Henri of Lagardère / Le Bossu and miniseries , 6 episodes, (1967) , starred by Jean Piat as Henri of Lagardère , Sacha Pitoëff as prince Gonzague and Jacques Dufilho as Passepoil .

This is, of course, a much-filmed story like Robin Hood etc and each generation will have its favourite version. In my case I found the best thing about it was the colour and I advise potential viewers to avoid travelling to the cinema by bus lest they drive a hole through the plot. Jean Marais is no Errol Flynn or even, nearer to home, Gerard Philippe, who made a memorable Fanfan La Tulipe and given Marais' status as long-time lover of Jean Cocteau it may not be inappropriate to describe him as a swishbuckler. Bourvil is on hand to provide comic relief but the best you can give this is that it passes the time more or less painlessly.

A new version in the late nineties was released featuring Daniel Auteuil as the hero;it was entertaining but the actor was overshadowed by Lucchini's portrayal of the wicked cousin.In the 1960 version,,there's not such a problem.Jean Marais was par excellence the swashbuckler hero and ,like in "le capitan" ,Bourvil provides the movie with good comic reliefs.Marais is as convincing playing a dashing knight,fighting for a girl's name and fortune as he is pretending he is a hunchback.André Hunebelle,often despised by the intellectuals made entertaining stuff which today's children (and their parents) can still enjoy.