“I am a minister…”: This line is 53 years old, but still as effective!

A funny punchline from Lino Ventura in Les Tontons Flingueurs, a life lesson from Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump or a sharp line from Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly…

Since the dawn of time, cinema has been full of unforgettable lines that make us laugh, cry, or shudder with delight, and which are often a pleasure to deliver at the right moment, during a conversation.

When it comes to sharp dialogues and legendary little sentences, French cinema is not left out, on the contrary, and some screenwriters who are particularly skilled in carving out the language of Moliere have offered very beautiful memories to the audience.

Iconic copies flourish

Louis de Funes’ filmography is, of course, full of these kinds of nuggets. And on that note, La Folie des Grandeurs, directed in 1971 by Gérard Urie based on the play. Rui Blas By Victor Hugo, great vintage.

mixed together, to give an example “My boss, he’s gold”, “He lies in German”, “When you’re rich, you’re nasty” or “The poor make the very poor, and the rich make the very rich!”

But today, let’s focus on the line spoken by Don Sallust, masterfully played by Louis de Funes, in the first part of the film. Stingy, greedy and deceitful, this minister of the King of Spain, who fills his pockets by embezzling taxes, is dismissed by the Queen after she accuses him of having an illicit relationship with one of her employees.

“What should I do, I’m a minister, I don’t know what to do!”

Before he is ordered to leave his apartments and his personal belongings are confiscated by palace servants, Sallust laments by uttering these few legendary words that sound like a well-placed little attack on the government of the day (and perhaps of all eras).

A little sentence which – as is the case with the dozen lines of La Folie des Grandeurs – is always effective in the evening, or when the context is favorable.

What is your favorite line from the movie?

(Re)discover our video dedicated to Louis de Funes…