''Cherchez l'idole'' (Italian title: ''Sciarada alla francese'', English title: ''The Chase'') is a 1964 French-Italian

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

directed by

Michel Boisrond Michel Jacques Boisrond (9 October 1921 – 10 November 2002) was a French film director and screenwriter. His work spanned five decades, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Career A former apprentice of Jean Delannoy, Jean Cocteau, and René Clair ...

. Enjoying great success in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, notably with the interpretation of Sylvie Vartan and her single '' La Plus Belle pour aller danser'' composed for the film and sold millions of copies, the film is considered the instigator of the fashion for Japanese idols and has had a strong impact on the Japanese recording industry as well as Japanese culture in general.

Plot

The great film star

Mylène Demongeot Mylène Demongeot (; born Marie-Hélène Demongeot ; 29 September 1935 – 1 December 2022) was a French film, television and theatre actress and author with a career spanning seven decades and more than 100 credits in French language, French, ...

moves into a new and beautiful home next to the

Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park that is the western half of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by the Em ...

. His house under construction is invaded by an army of workers. Mylène is invited by General De Gaulle to attend a reception in 3 days which will take place at the Elysée Palace. She asks her maid Gisèle to prepare her gala outfit for that day and to take care of the little diamond heart that she would like to wear on this occasion (a trifle of new francs, or some 760,000 euros). In the meantime, she has to leave to go to

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

for a cinematographic event. Richard, a nice tiler working in the star's house, exasperated by Corinne, his ambitious and troublesome girlfriend, incidentally learned of the existence of the famous jewel from Gisèle... At nightfall, he steals the little heart, but neighbors, having seen him crossing the wall of Mylène's property, alert the police. Pursued by the police, Richard takes refuge in the nearest warehouse, that of a music store, and hides the jewel by sticking it with chewing gum inside an Ericson electric guitar. The next day, when tough Corinne goes to the store to buy the guitar, the five Ericson copies in stock have just been sold to five singing idols. Corinne blames Richard for this blunder and breaks up with him. She sets out on the trail of idols with her friend Vonny while Richard, repentant, also goes on a treasure hunt, but with the help of Gisèle, who knows that he is the thief, in order to return the jewel to Mylène upon her return from Cannes. They will have to approach the idols during their artistic performances to find the one among the five who holds the famous treasure guitar: is it

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian on 15 August 1944) is a Bulgarians in France, Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. Her performances often featured ela ...

, Frank Alamo, Nancy Holloway or

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

Cast

* Dany Saval as Corinne *

Franck Fernandel Franck Fernandel (born Franck Gérard Ignace Contandin; 10 December 1935 – 8 June 2011) was a French actor, singer and songwriter, and writer. Biography Franck was the only son of three children born to the famous French actor Fernandel. He ...

as Richard * Dominique Boschero as Vonny * Christian Marin as Marcel *

Pierre Doris Pierre Doris (1919–2009) was a French actor and humorist. Selected filmography * '' Comme un cheveu sur la soupe'' (1957) - Le chasseur du 'Néant' * '' Love Is at Stake'' (1957) - Le publiciste * '' The Tricyclist'' (1957) - Le voyageur à l ...

as The disk seller * Jacques Dynam as The driver *

Franco Califano Franco Califano (14 September 1938 – 30 March 2013) was an Italian lyricist, composer, singer-songwriter, author and actor. His songs sold about 20 million records during his career. Early life Born in an airplane above Tripoli, Libya, Ca ...

as The director As themselves, *

Pierre Bellemare Pierre Bellemare (21 October 1929 – 26 May 2018) was a French writer, novelist, radio personality, television presenter, TV producer, director, and actor. Television * '' La Tête et les Jambes'' * '' La Caméra invisible'' * '' J'ai un Se ...

* Harold Kay *

Claude Piéplu Claude Léon Auguste Piéplu (9 May 1923, Paris – 24 May 2006, Paris) was a French theatre, film and television actor. He was known for his hoarse and frayed voice.Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian on 15 August 1944) is a Bulgarians in France, Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. Her performances often featured ela ...

Eddy Mitchell Claude Moine (; born 3 July 1942), known professionally as Eddy Mitchell, is a French singer and actor. He began his career in the late 1950s, with the group Les Chaussettes Noires (The Black Socks). He took the name ''Eddy'' from the American ...

Les Chaussettes Noires Les Chaussettes Noires () were a French rock and roll band founded in 1960, that was among the pioneer of rock music in France, together with Les Chats sauvages. It was originally composed of Claude Moine, a.k.a. Eddy Mitchell (vocals), William B ...

* Nancy Holloway * Frank Alamo * Jean-Jacques Debout *

References

External links

* {{Sylvie Vartan French musical comedy films Italian musical comedy films 1964 films 1964 musical comedy films Films directed by Michel Boisrond Films set in the 1960s Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris French black-and-white films Italian black-and-white films 1960s French-language films 1960s Italian films 1960s French films Films scored by Georges Garvarentz French-language Italian films French-language musical comedy films