Santa Claus is trash and doesn’t age
First released in cinemas in August 1982, the cult comedy Santa Claus is rubbish directed by Jean-Marie Poiré is the adaptation of the work of the same name performed by the Splendid team in 1979. Set on Christmas Eve in the premises of S.OS Détresse Amitié, the comedy follows the tragicomic misadventures of a group of colorful characters.
During this night, initially very quiet for December 24th, the telephone assistance volunteers, Pierre and Thérèse, try to manage the calls of the unfortunate people, exchanging gifts. Their plans, however, are disrupted by the arrival of eccentric characters and unlikely situations. Among them we find Josette, Thérèse’s awkward homeless friend, who tries to escape her violent partner Katia, a transsexual rejected by her family, or even Monsieur Preskovic, a resident of the building who offers strange culinary specialties.
Self Santa Claus is rubbish did not have an obvious debut in cinema, it has acquired, over the years (and television broadcasts), the status of a cult film. Its recent arrival on Netflix should only rekindle the flame of viewers, and why not attract a younger audience. Just a day after its arrival, it is already in first place among the most viewed films on the platform.
Josiane Balasko clears up a misunderstanding
If he had written the play Santa Claus is rubbish with the other members of the Splendid troupe, Josiane Balasko had no role in it. In the film, however, she plays that of Madame Musquin, the president of SOS Détresse Amitié, who has to go to Créteil to celebrate Christmas and finds herself stuck in the elevator. This role was written specifically for the film and does not exist in the play.
Josiane Balasko however played the role of Josette (Zezette for short) on stage for a few performances, replacing Marie-Anne Chazel. But a popular belief is that the role of Zezette was primarily attributed to Balasko and not to her sister. A misunderstanding which the latter wanted to put an end to during a recent interview given to the magazine C à Vous on France 5, in which she clarified that the role had always been that of Marie-Anne Chazel, but that she had nevertheless brought the his two cents on the character, adding his hood, an accessory that remained for the film:
What I brought to the character was the hood and Marie-Anne kept it. I said to myself ‘what more can I do?’ and the hood makes a really stupid face
declared Josiane Balasko, then specifying that before Anémone’s arrival there was talk of her playing the role of Teresa in the show:
I had to do the part of Anemone, Thérèse, and then I was doing another play at the same time (…) and thank God I didn’t because Anémone was fantastic, really fantastic
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
