Can you imagine Jean Richard (1921-2001), the nitwit of "Nous autres à Champignol" and, later on, the least convincing embodiment of Simenon's Jules Maigret in the never-ending TV series ("Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret", 1967-1990), as a... wrestling champion? Hard, isn't it ? Well, that was apparently not a problem to André Hunebelle, who can occasionally be a good director ("Monsieur Taxi", "Le bossu"), but who never says no to z-grade stuff like "Pas de roses pour OSS 117, "Ça fait tilt" and of course, this one, a particularly stupid comedy, the kind French cinema churned out during the nineteen fifties. The direction is flat and is unable to give the relief to what "story" there is (a naive wrestler gets manipulated by a dangerous gangster in need of a straw man) and to its one dimensional characters. Nor can you expect any laughs. The conclusion is obvious: skip that turkey and make more fruitful use of the eighty-three minutes it lasts.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

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