3 million admissions: one of the best comedies returns to the cinema with Jean-Paul Belmondo and will make you laugh until you cry!

50 years after its release, The Magnificent returns to theaters in a restored version thanks to Carlotta Films. Philippe de Broca’s excellent classic brings to life Jean-Paul Belmondo as secret agent Bob St. Clair. The latter is sent on a mission to Mexico, where he falls under the spell of his contact, the temptress Tatiana.

This is the starting point of Francois Merlin’s 43rd spy novel, a debt-ridden writer with an apathetic tendency. The inverted double of this one, the extravagant and virile Saint-Clair lives in adventure and loves the dreams of his creator. Indeed, Merlin likes to turn people from his everyday life into characters in his story, such as his beautiful neighbor Christine or his odious publisher Charon.

This adventure comedy, released on November 28, 1973 in France, is one of the most popular works of French cinema. At that time, it attracted almost 3 million entries. Note that this film has a funny quirk: none of the screenwriters are credited! This is due to disagreements between director Philip de Broca and co-writer Francis Weber.

No two artists had the same vision for Jacqueline Bisset’s character of Christine/Tatiana. De Broca wanted to expand, and Weber did not agree at all. Accordingly, they called in a “scriptologist” in the person of Jean-Paul Rapeno to flesh out Christine/Tatiana to give her more consistency.

Disagreement scenario

Upon first viewing the film after editing, Francis Weber immediately indicated that he preferred not to appear in the credits. According to Philip de Broca, Weber “He always had problems with women in his fiction”. According to the future director of The Goat, this disagreement is mainly a “The complete incompatibility of humor.”

Note that the beach scenes in Mexico (bungalow, diver attack) were filmed at Playa Gemelas, south of Puerto Vallarta and north of Los Arcos. This is very clear in several scenes, especially the one where Belmondo is water skiing. As for the exterior scenes, they were shot in Paris, on the Place de la Bastille (the traffic jam scene), on the rue Tournefort (when Christine is studying) and in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.

You should know that the hero Bob Saint-Clair is inspired by several colorful characters of the 60s and 70s: James Bond, San Antonio, Hubert Bonissor de la Batte or Malco Linge. Possessing a rare elegance, they are adventurous spies who are attracted to beautiful women.

The Magnificent was released in theaters on October 18, 2023 in a restored version.