The Gendarme gets married: and three!
After the success of the first two parts of Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, the beautiful team led by Louis de Funès returns for a third film entitled The Gendarme gets married. Also directed by Jean Girault, the film was released in theaters in 1968, five months after the riots that shook France. Once again, the film is a triumph, with almost seven million admissions to the cinema (the second biggest hit of 1968).
The plot follows Cruchot as he falls in love with Josépha, the widow of a gendarmerie colonel, played by Claude Gensac (De Funès’ “registered” wife in the movies). Their romantic interactions bring a new dynamism to Cruchot’s character, until then known mainly for his rigor and professional zeal. The film also allows Louis de Funès to explore a new palette of his game.
The other key actors of the saga return for this third film, starting with Michel Galabru (Gerber) and Jean Lefebvre (Fougasse).
An interrupted and angry recovery Jean Lefebvre
The shooting The Gendarme gets married was strongly influenced by the events of May 1968 in France. Strikes and demonstrations created a climate of tension on the set. Louis de Funès, determined to continue working despite the turbulent social context, refused to join the strikers, who exacerbated tensions with some members of the team.
At the film’s premiere, Jean Lefebvre was astonished to discover that most of his scenes had been cut during editing. furious, draws the press to express his displeasure, accusing Louis de Funès of being responsible for these cuts. He states: “I cheated my producer! I cheated the public! I am not appearing on the screen as required by my contract. It is disgusting! Someone could have warned me. Of course, I am not a star, but I have a certain public and this public that loves me will be disappointed!”.
This public accusation led to a severe rebuke from director Jean Girault, who in an editorial in the daily newspaper “Paris-Jour” called Lefebvre “mediocre” and “the highest paid figure in the world”. Girault defends his decision by claiming that he had done Lefebvre a favor by “avoiding unpleasant comparisons with Louis de Funès”. Despite this altercation, Lefebvre appears one last time The Gendarme on a walk in 1970.
This incident, however, created a permanent break between Jean Lefebvre and Louis de Funès. The two actors will never film together again after this last part.
Source: Cine Serie
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