Louis de Funes was called the “king of laughter,” and, as his son Olivier de Funes recalled, “he was a pure aristocrat who loved his own and only wife, fished and grew roses – he lived in his own world, which he tried not to let anyone touch.”
Late debut
But the only and all-consuming passion of Louis Germain David de Funes de Galars, born in 1914 near Paris in the department of Haute-Seine Courbevoyer, was cinema. Which he joined quite late, at the age of 30, when there were dozens of roles behind the backs of other actors – that’s how fate turned out. And before his appearance in 1945 in the first role (film directed by Jean Staley “The Barbizon Temptation”) He had to play a variety of roles in his life: he worked as a furrier, a draughtsman, decorated the windows of small shops, delivered milk in the early morning, was a piano player, accountant, graphic designer, performed in cabarets, music halls, and on the radio. However, fate decreed that, having started life as a messenger, he ended it as a member of the Legion of Honor, one of France’s most beloved actors, one of the great comedians of world cinema.
The first role
De Funes first appeared on stage at Coulommiers College in the play “The Royal Turkey,” in which he played the role of the son of a regiment in the army of Henry IV. One of the reviewers noticed the “young talent,” writing that he was “playing with a spark.” But the “talent” wanted a fire and, quickly realizing that you couldn’t light it in the theater, he went to the cinema.
He was extraordinarily talented from birth, spoke French, Spanish and English without difficulty from childhood, and was fond of playing the piano and drawing. He was mobile, charming, and extremely funny in his childish antics and inventive pranks. And he retained all these qualities in his mature years. When he was young, he played in small cameo roles. In 20 years, from 1945 to 1963, he starred in 112 films. As a comedian, he shone in all his episodes, but they began to recognize the actor after a small role in the film “Papa, Mama, the Maid and Me” (1954), where he played the annoying neighbor of Monsieur Calomel.
“Not caught is not a thief”
The film “Not caught is not a thief” was released in France in 1958. Director Ivan Robert wanted to make a comedic detective story about a cunning, intelligent and sympathetic poacher who always gets out of constant fights with the police. The case unfolds in the small French town of Montpagnard. The peace of the city is constantly disturbed by the Blero market trader. He has permission to sell mushrooms. But fish is in great demand among the residents of the town. To earn money and feed his family, he breaks the law twice – illegally fishing and illegally selling his catch. However, the police cannot charge the violator of the order, because they cannot catch him doing illegal activities, and if he is not caught, then, of course, he is not a thief.
Robert invited Funes to play this role. Having already played at least a dozen other comic roles, he was a popular actor, one step away from fame. And the director helped make him – for the main role of a handsome rogue hero, he was looking for an actor with a choleric temperament, expressive facial expressions and the ability to sharpen the role to the grotesque, at the same time without turning it into a caricature. Funes had all these advantages. And he played in such a way that not a single Frenchman who watched this unpretentious film left not just without a smile– but without laughter. The long–awaited success came, the actor in the blink of an eye becomes the favorite of the audience, but, more importantly, fortune – since then, this moody lady has not left her pet.
For 1958, the film was a new word in the comedy genre – today you review this picture with nostalgia, of course, a lot of things are outdated, directorial techniques, film language. Perhaps only Louis de Funes is still charming and young, and his playing still causes laughter, smiles and admiration.
The Battle with Fantomas
From this full-fledged film debut for many decades (lucky fate!) he is becoming the idol of a huge audience, not only in France. It only takes a few years, and his kind humor, harmless jokes, funny to the point of colic, and grimaces conquer the whole of Europe. In the 1960s, films with his participation were bought by the Soviet Union. Cinemas in Moscow (which I witnessed) and in the provinces, where the famous adventures of the world villain Fantomas (Jean Marais) were shown – funnier than scary, who was opposed by the mobile, small (164 cm tall), nimble and extremely mobile Commissar Juve (Louis de Funes), were taken with a fight. I can’t imagine how such a thing was allowed to appear on the Soviet screen in those days – it was pure ideological sabotage, and for many years more than one generation of Soviet boys played the “villain”. Who was pretty fed up with the “positive hero” Pavel Korchagin, who was imposed by the school and forced in his teeth. “Evil”, even if it is like that, is much more attractive (especially at a young age) than “ideological”, and even imposed “good”.
De Funes raged
In a good way. Not like Fantomas in the famous movie’s second film, trying to develop a secret weapon to gain power over the entire world. French comedian Louis de Funes wanted the same thing, but he needed a different power – the power of laughter, kindness, and humanity. And he achieved it.
After “Fantomas,” he starred in three or four films a year. He was full of strength and energy, his temperament was overwhelming, his inventions on the stage were inexhaustible and always made the crew laugh, and this is the most important criterion for the success of a comedy picture: if professionals laugh, ordinary viewers will laugh. That’s what happened from movie to movie.
From “Gendarme” to “Razini”
In addition to “Fantomas,” which conquered the world, he starred in the series about the adventures of the provincial gendarme Cruchot “The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez” (1964), in the paintings of Gerard Uri “Razin” (1965) and “The Big Walk” (1966), which were watched by more than 2 million viewers worldwide. They were also successful in the Soviet Union, not only because the USSR was particularly friendly with France in those years, but because of the magnificent performance of Louis de Funes and the melancholic Bourville. Which also fell in love with Soviet moviegoers.
And then there were “Mr. Septim’s Restaurant” (1966), “Oscar” (1967), “Frozen” (1969), “The Human Orchestra” (1970). Funes was always dubbed by People’s Artist of the USSR Vladimir Konigson. The voice so successfully coincided with the physical characteristics of a popular (in fact, there are no such honorary titles in France) French artist that he firmly entered the Soviet (and now Russian) mass consciousness – Koenigson’s voice became the voice of Funes. It’s a pretty rare thing in a movie. Even in the world.
In the late 1960s, Louis de Funes was recognized as the best actor in France. And in the 1970s he did not lose his popularity, continuing to work quite actively. The films “Gendarme on Vacation”, “Megalomania” and others were released. Basically, as before, he starred in sitcoms, some were more successful, others were less, the main thing remained one thing: such a movie with the participation of a great comedian brightened up the tragedy of life. And not just ordinary French people.
“How beautiful, how fresh the roses were…”
Life is sad and hopeless, whether you’re a comedian, a tragedian, or even a king or president. Everyone knows how it starts and ends.
In 1975, one heart attack after another knocked Funes out of the cinema, but not out of life. The family moved to their 17th-century country estate, located near picturesque, colorful Nantes, the Atlantic Ocean carried a different air, there was a different sun over Brittany, the hilly terrain was pleasing to the eye.
But even in this place, the descendant of aristocrats, in whose veins flowed the burning Spanish-Portuguese blood, could not sit idle.
What can a heart attack patient do?
That’s right – to plant roses in a luxurious garden. This activity calmed me down, brought me back to life. But without cinema, life remained incomplete. And just when he felt better, Funes accepted an offer from director Claude Zidi to star in the film “Wing or Leg” (1976). And once again, I felt like, if not a full-bodied Fantomas, then an aged Log. This time, it’s not the simpletons who are trying to cheat the cops, but death. It worked for a while. He starred in several more films and even tried himself as a director – in 1979 he filmed his beloved Moliere’s “Stingy”. Three years later, he starred in the film “The Gendarme and the Gendarmes,” and on January 27, 1983, his heart broke.
The winner of the honorary Cesar Award for his outstanding contribution to French and world cinema, the great comedian, the king of laughter Louis de Funes died with the feeling that he had done everything he could in this life.