“Others took it as if I were playing it personally”: Michel Blanc on an artistic break with his friends at Splendid Thierry Lhermitte and Christian Clavier.

Known to the general public by Les Bronzés and on stage with his friends Splendid, Michel Blanc, who died tragically on the night of October 3rd to 4th at the age of 72, did not always know only good people troupe. He even left it in 1980, after filming Les Bronzés sont du ski. Here’s what happened.

The year is 1978. After the success of Les Bronzés, Splendid is forced to write a sequel, which they really don’t want. Teasing, the group members decide to sign a comedy closer to collective delirium: an excursion into the mountains in survival mode, inspired by the crash of Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya Flight 571 (which especially inspired Snow Circle on Netflix. ). Cannibalism, sex with a bear, the movie goes too far!

The others took it as if I were playing personally

The Monty Python humor of their proposal was outright rejected by their producer at the time, Yves Roussette-Roir, who asked them for a much lighter tone, in the spirit of the first film, and the team had to start from scratch.

If Juno, Clavier, Lhermitte and Chazelle make the decision, the rejection of their original vision leads to the departure of Josian Balasco and Michel Blanc from the writing team. Their departure aggravates the situation, and Michel Blanc experiences it during the filming of Les Bronzés sont du ski, under the direction of Patrice Leconte, as he confided to Alexandre Ravello Michel Blanc – about misunderstanding”.

“From the moment I was not a co-author, I felt that I should not talk to my comrades about the way of performing my text, but to the director, because I became only a simple performer. And the rest took it as it is. If I were to play personally..

A selection that Thierry Lhermite particularly dislikes: “There was a relatively bad atmosphere between us. Thierry and I even had a fight once. It was very cold, but there was no anger. Despite everything, we shot the film to the end.”

Struggle to impose your ideas

Moreover, after the end of the film, the troupe starts writing again, this time a play called Santa’s Garbage. And it is during these sessions that Michel Blanc realizes that what he wants is not in line with what the team wants: “Something broke. (…) When we started writing Santa Claus, I realized that it would be a struggle to impose his ideas.”

Michel Blanc therefore reconnected with Patrice Lecomte, with whom he exchanged a lot during Les Bronzés sont du ski, and made three films with the director: Come to my house, I live with a friend (1981), My wife is called. Come Back (1982) and Circulation is nothing to see! (1983). He then moved on to direct Marche à l’ombre (1984). If he is present in the following brilliant films, it is in a cameo (the voice of Santa Claus on the phone) or in a small role (grandfather joins the resistance).

Having collaborated twice in the theater with his friend Josian Balasco, who also went to Santa Claus, he refused the role of Teresa. Together they will play the plays Bunny’s Bar and Nuit d’ivresse, the role of Blanc will be played on stage and in the cinema by… Thierry Lhermitte!