Tonight on TV: The film that proves Louis de Funes was also a brilliant dancer

For their fifth (and final) collaboration, Louis de Funes asked Gérard Uri to write for him.Nice bastard roleFor his part, the director was thinking about a film about the Jewish community. Together with his daughter Danielle Thompson, he completed the adventure of Rabbi Jacob.

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So Louis de Funes is offered the main role: Victor Pivert, an angry and fundamentally xenophobic businessman caught in a storm of misunderstandings and misunderstandings, which forces him to disguise himself as a rabbi. He is then mistaken for Rabbi Jacob, a New York luminary, who is welcomed with much fanfare by the Jewish community of the rue des Rosiers.

Suffice it to say that the actor excels in the skin of a small angry racist, whose disasters one after another give him a bunch of iconic scenes – from falling into a cauldron of chewing gum to unforgettable Hasidic dances.

But did you know that this famous dance scene was completely improvised? Originally, the character of Louis de Funes was just supposed to play the violin. But thanks to choreographer Ilan Zaoui, Gérard Oury decides to rewrite the scene and make his character dance. Thus, at the age of 59 and despite his poor health, Louis de Funes created a choreography that has remained as famous as the music composed by Vladimir Cosma.

essential in the career of Louis de Funes, Adventures of Rabbi Jacob Between two bursts of laughter, it delivers a beautiful message about tolerance. A hugely popular success, it reached 7.2 million downloads in France upon its release.

Adventures of Rabbi Jacob By Gerard Ury with Louis de Funes, Claude Giroux, Susie Deller…

Tonight on France 2 at 21:10.