Plot: What’s it about?
Francois Merlin (Jean-Paul Belmondo) has been in some of the most dangerous, unpredictable, and well known espionage adventures ever, but he wasn’t exactly active in these events, he just imagined them. But when he puts them down in his books, the public goes bananas and buys them in mass amounts. After they’ve turned the final page, they just wait on Merlin to put together his next best seller, so they can be taken back inside that world. And he has started on his latest installment, titled How to Destroy the Reputation of the World’s Greatest Secret Agent, quite the long winded prose, to be sure. As he writes this one, he begins to put himself and others he runs into within the pages, in the form of various characters. Of course, he envisions himself as the book’s hero secret agent Bob Saint-Clare, but the entire world of this story is populated by people he knows, just with some small twists thrown in. Soon, his gorgeous neighbor Christine (Jacqueline Bisset) becomes his female counterpart in the book, while his slave driver of an editor is turned into the book’s nefarious villain. But when all is said and done, will Merlin’s real life turn out as well as the scripted happenings in his new book?
This offbeat take on spy films is loaded with action, excellent writing, and of course, the skills of international superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo (Le Professionnel, La Scoumoune). Belmondo is a pleasure to watch in Le Magnifique and really seems to be into his role, which enhances the entire picture, I think. This kind of material needs to have a cast & crew that wants to have fun, which more than seems to be the case here. I figured this would be a funny movie, but I was surprised by how well written it was, this is some really great stuff. The attention to detail is terrific and while the story could have become hard to follow at times, the writers made sure it all remains clear enough, even in the most complex moments. It has some silly sequences and always makes sure humor is involved, but the writing is quite good, much better than expected. The movie is kind of odd at times, but stays enjoyable and especially once the wheels start rolling, it offers a lot of laughs. Yes, the humor is sometimes aimed at French audiences, but that doesn’t mean others can’t pick up on most of the tidbits. I recommend this to anyone interested, especially fans of Belmondo, but I do wish this disc had some sort of bonus materials.
Video: How does it look?
Le Magnifique is presented in a 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but Image has given this movie a fine visual treatment and while the flick has some years behind it, it looks terrific here. The print is a little soft, but shows little in terms of grain and debris, which leaves little room for complaints. The colors are a tad faded, but have held up rather and the same holds true for the contrast. I found black levels to be more than acceptable, but time has lightened them a little, not enough to be worried about though. I think this is a very nice visual presentation and without a doubt, fans will be beyond pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
The film’s original French soundtrack is used here, via a basic, but not too shabby mono option. Of course, this means audio is never too memorable, but this movie relies more on dialogue than anything, so all is well. The vocals come through in clean & crisp fashion, with no volume issues in the least. The humorous musical score also sound good here, while sound effects aren’t too impressive, but still sound acceptable. Given the age and nature of this film, I think the included mono track is just fine, as it covers all the needed bases. This disc also includes optional English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc contains no bonus materials.
