''Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ (Quarter To Two B.C.)'' is a 1982 French comedy film directed by
Jean Yanne
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
. The film relates the story of the garage mechanic Ben-Hur Marcel, also known as Aminemephet (
Coluche
Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (, ; 28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under his stage name Coluche (), was a French stage comedian and cinema actor. He adopted ''Coluche'' as a stage name at age 26, when he began his entertainment c ...
), who gets wrapped up organizing a plot against Caesar (
Michel Serrault
Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films.
Life and career
His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's ''Les ...
). The picture is an
anachronistic
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...
parody of Bible films like ''
Ben-Hur'', somewhat comparable to ''
Monty Python's Life of Brian
''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (also known as ''Life of Brian'') is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin). It wa ...
'' (1979). It has become a
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...
in France.
Plot
During the Roman Empire, a modest cart maker found himself the victim of a political plot targeting Julius Caesar.
In this parody of peplum, peopled with anachronisms, a garage mechanic for carts, Ben-Hur Marcel finds himself unwillingly representative of the union against the Roman army. Caught up in a story of a plot against a homosexual Caesar and interested only in his hairstyle and the drape of his toga, Ben-Hur Marcel finds himself embroiled in a political embarrassment towards ancient Egypt and its queen, Cleopatra VII, decked out in an accent of the Parisian suburbs. He will get by thanks to the talent of his friend Paulus.
At first glance, the satire is aimed first at state power which presents all the usual flaws: liar, cynical, manipulator, contemptuous, hateful, but also fearful: "Citizens, we can do nothing for the moment ... But as soon as possible as we can, we will do double! The people, cowardly and submissive (cf. the final speech of Ben-Hur Marcel to all the protagonists), and the operetta revolutionaries also take it for their rank: if things are going so badly, it is because , in the end, they let it go. And, in the end, everyone forgets while watching the silliness of the television news during which the birth of a child is announced in a stable in Bethlehem.
The film ends with an ironic retort from Ben-Hur Marcel: “
The birth of a child in a stable won't change the face of the world!" At this moment we hear the first three fortissimo notes of the music written by Miklós Rósza for the film Ben Hur (1959) by William Wyler.
Cast
*
Coluche
Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (, ; 28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under his stage name Coluche (), was a French stage comedian and cinema actor. He adopted ''Coluche'' as a stage name at age 26, when he began his entertainment c ...
as Ben-Hur Marcel / Aminemephet
*
Michel Serrault
Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films.
Life and career
His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's ''Les ...
as César
*
Jean Yanne
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
as Paulus
*
Françoise Fabian
Michèle Cortes (born 10 May 1933), known professionally as Françoise Fabian (), is a French film actress. She has appeared in more than 100 films since 1956. In 1971, Fabian signed the Manifesto of the 343
The Manifesto of the 343 (), was a F ...
as Laetitia
*
Michel Auclair
Michel Auclair (born Vladimir Vujović, sr-cyr, Владимир Вујовић; 14 September 1922 – 7 January 1988) was an actor of Serbian and French ancestry, known best for his roles in French cinema.
Auclair was born to a Serbian fathe ...
as Consul Demetrius
*
Mimi Coutelier Mimi or MIMI may refer to:
People
* Mimi (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Constantin Mimi (1868–1935), Bessarabian politician and winemaker
* Mimi (footballer, born 1996), Bissau Guinean footballer
* Mohanad Ali (born 2 ...
as Cleopatra
*
Darry Cowl
Darry Cowl (born André Darricau; 27 August 1925 – 14 February 2006) was a French comedian, actor and musician. He won a César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2004 for his role as a concierge in '' Pas sur la bouche'' (''Not on ...
as Faucuius
*
Paul Préboist
Paul Préboist (21 February 1927 – 4 March 1997) was a French actor. He appeared in more than hundred films, mostly in supporting roles, and is best known as a comic actor.
Filmography
Theater
References
External links
*Paul Préboist ...
as The Lion Keeper
*
Daniel Emilfork
Daniel Emilfork (7 April 1924 – 17 October 2006) was a Chilean stage and film actor who made his career in France.
Biography
Emilfork was born in San Felipe, Chile after his Jewish socialist parents from Kiev fled a pogrom in Odessa. At a ...
as Tatouius
*
Valérie Mairesse
Valérie Mairesse (born 8 June 1954) is a French stage and film actress. She was nominated for the César Awards 1978 for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Repérages''.
Theater
Filmography
External links
*
1955 births
Fr ...
as A Prostitute
*
André Pousse
André Pousse (20 October 1919 – 9 September 2005) was a noted French actor and, in his youth, also a notable cyclist.
Biography
While primarily known as a leading French actor, André Pousse began his professional career as a cyclist (prima ...
as A centurion
*
Michel Constantin
Michel Constantin (born Constantin Hokhloff, 13 July 1924 – 29 August 2003) was a French film actor.
Biography
Born to a Russian father and a Polish mother in Billancourt (near Paris), Constantin made his first film appearance in 1956. Hi ...
as Secutor
*
José Artur as Reginus
Discography
The CD soundtrack composed by
Raymond Alessandrini and
Jean Yanne
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
was released on the Music Box Records label.
References
External links
*
1982 films
1980s parody films
French parody films
1980s French-language films
Films directed by Jean Yanne
Films produced by Claude Berri
French satirical films
Films set in Palestine (region)
Films set in the Roman Empire
Films shot in Tunisia
Films set in the 1st century BC
Roman Empire in art and culture
Depictions of Julius Caesar on film
Depictions of Cleopatra on film
1982 comedy films
1980s French films
{{1980s-France-film-stub