''Le Magnifique'' (literally ''The Magnificent''; also known as ''The Man from Acapulco'') is a 1973 spy comedy, a French/

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...

, starring

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in ''The Detective (1968 film), The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet ...

and

Vittorio Caprioli Vittorio Caprioli (15 August 1921 – 2 October 1989) was an Italian actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in 109 films between 1946 and 1990, mostly in French productions. Biography Caprioli was born in Naples. Having graduated fr ...

that was directed by

Philippe de Broca Philippe Claude Alex de Broca de Ferrussac (; 15 March 1933 – 26 November 2004) was a French film director. He directed 30 full-length feature films, including the highly successful ''That Man from Rio (''L'Homme de Rio'')'', ''Le Magnifique, ...

. ''Le Magnifique'' is a

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

spoof of B-series

spy films The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond fil ...

and novels and the men who write them. In the film, a financially struggling writer of

spy novels Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelli ...

imagines himself as an idealised superspy. In his imagination, he casts his female neighbor as the spy's paramour, and his publisher as an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

. The imagination is soon reflected in the formation of a

love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...

in the writer's life.

Synopsis

François Merlin (

) is a Jean Bruce type writer of pulp espionage novels (he has written 42 so far) and about half of the film plays in his imagination, where he is the world-renowned superspy Bob Sinclar. (The name of the character is never seen written in the film. While some people write his name "Saint-Clair", the way it is pronounced in French sounds like Sinclar; in the English dubbed soundtrack the surname is "St. Cloud".) Christine (

) is a sociology student who lives in François' building and is interested in the novels, but in the writer's imagination she becomes Tatiana, his paramour, while the pompous and rich publisher of his novels, Pierre Charron (

), doubles as the great villain of the spy novels, the Albanian secret service's head Karpov, who in a memorable scene of the film threatens to cut off one of Tatiana's breasts. Christine is clearly fascinated with the handsome spy Bob Sinclar, an unrealistic and idealised hero, who is the very opposite of his creator: a clumsy, frustrated divorced man who barely makes enough money to get by. However, when she is befriended by the rich and vain publisher who looks down upon his poor hack writer, she realises her mistake, and after a party where he tries to seduce her, she flees him and falls asleep on the landing outside the writer's flat, where he finds her in the morning, clad apparently only in a

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...

and embraces her for a happy ending. In the final scene, François throws over the balcony his last manuscript, freeing himself from his character and his imaginary life.

Production

Due to a dispute between Francis Veber and director Philippe de Broca over the importance of the lead female character to the script, Francis Veber refused to be credited as a writer. As a result, the credits don't feature any writer.

UK Release

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, Le Magnifique was titled ''How to Destroy the Reputation of the Greatest Secret Agent'', and was released as the

B-Movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

to the film '' Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' in 1975.

Cast

: François Merlin / Bob Saint-Clar *

: Christine / Tatiana *

: Georges Charron / Colonel Karpof * : Mrs. Berger *

Mario David (actor) Mario David (1927–1996) was a French film and television actor.Neupert p.116 A character actor he appeared on screen from the 1950s to the 1990s in supporting roles. Selected filmography * '' Love Is Not a Sin'' (1952) - L'agent dans l'escalier ...

: Policeman *

Raymond Gérôme Raymond Gérôme (17 May 1920 — 3 February 2002) was a Belgian-born, French stage and screen actor. Gérôme was born as Raymond Joseph Léon De Backer in Koekelberg. He made his first stage appearance in 1946, in a stage production of ''Jeann ...

: General Pontaubert *

Jean Lefebvre Jean Marcel Lefebvre (3 October 1919Some sources indicate he was born in 1922. – 9 July 2004) was a French film actor. His erratic studies were interrupted by World War II. Taken prisoner and then requisitioned as a laborer, he escaped to joi ...

: The electrician * Hans Meyer : Colonel Collins *

André Weber André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries, as well in Portugal, ...

: The plumber *

Hubert Deschamps Hubert Deschamps (13 September 1923 – 29 December 1998) was a French actor. He was the son of the museum curator Paul Deschamps (1888–1974) and uncle of the French stage director Jérôme Deschamps. Selected filmography * ''The Strolle ...

: Salesman *

Bernard Musson Bernard Musson (1925–2010) was a French actor. Selected filmography * '' The Real Culprit'' (1951) * '' It Happened in Paris'' (1952) * '' Midnight Witness'' (1953) * '' The Slave'' (1953) * '' On Trial'' (1954) * '' Flesh and the Woman'' (195 ...

: Interpreter * : Interpreter * : The Lecturer * : Doctor

References to other films and media

This is the film that is the main inspiration for the three teenage heroes of the novel by Andrei Makine, ''Once Upon the River Love'' ( Au temps du fleuve Amour, 1994). French DJ

Bob Sinclar Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ, and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions. Musical career A native of Paris, Le Friant began D ...

took his stage name from the unseen super spy.

Notes

External links

* *
''Le Magnifique''
at Le Film Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnifique, Le 1973 films 1973 action comedy films 1970s spy comedy films 1970s parody films Films about writers French spy comedy films Italian spy comedy films Films directed by Philippe de Broca French parody films French action comedy films Films with screenplays by Jean-Paul Rappeneau Parody films based on James Bond films Films scored by Claude Bolling Films set in fictional countries 1970s Italian films 1970s French films Films with screenplays by Francis Veber