''La Chèvre'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

title: ''Knock on Wood'', literal translation: ''The She-goat'') is a 1981 French

buddy cop Buddy cop is a film and television genre with plots involving two people of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process. ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

written and directed by

Francis Veber Francis Paul Veber (born 28 July 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, and playwright. He has written and directed both French and American films. Nine French-language films with which he has been involved, as either writ ...

, starring

Pierre Richard Pierre Richard (born Pierre-Richard Maurice Charles Léopold Defays; 16 August 1934) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films. Pierre Richard is considered by many, such as ...

and

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

. It is the first of three films featuring Richard and Depardieu as a comic duo. An American remake of this film was made in 1991, starring Martin Short and

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

, entitled ''

Pure Luck ''Pure Luck'' is a 1991 American comedy film starring Martin Short and Danny Glover. It is a remake of the popular French comedy film '' La Chèvre'' (1981). Plot The film opens as the klutzy Valerie Highsmith arrives at an airport in Puerto V ...

''.

Plot

''La Chèvre'' features Depardieu as the tough-guy private

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

Campana, hired to find Marie, the daughter of a rich businessman, who has mysteriously disappeared while vacationing in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The case turns out to be complicated – several attempts to find her have already failed. A

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

, Meyer, who works for the businessman, suggests a plan. Marie is known to be extremely unlucky and accident-prone; the psychologist advises sending someone equally accident-prone to find her, on the theory that what happened to her may also happen to him, and thus, following her steps while the detective tags along, the daughter can be found and returned home. Richard's character Perrin is an awkward, accident-prone accountant who works for the businessman, and is chosen to implement the scheme. The adventures of those serious detective and unlucky guy begins...

Cast

as François Perrin *

as Campana *

Pedro Armendáriz Jr. Pedro Armendáriz Bohr (April 6, 1940 – December 26, 2011), better known by his stage name Pedro Armendáriz Jr., was a Mexican actor. Life and career Pedro Armendáriz Bohr was born in Mexico City to Mexican-American actor Pedro Armendáriz ...

as The Captain * Corynne Charbit as Marie Bens * Maritza Olivares *

André Valardy André Valardy (born André Knoblauch, '17 May 1938 – 30 April 2007) was a Belgian actor, director and humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking ...

as Meyer * as Arbal * Sergio Calderón as Prisoner *

Michel Robin Michel Robin (13 November 1930 – 18 November 2020) was a French film, stage, and television actor. A sociétaire of the Comédie-Française since 1996, he also appeared in 120 films from 1966 to 2018. He won several awards for his acting, ...

as Alexandre Bens *

Robert Dalban Robert Dalban (born Gaston Barré; 19 July 1903, in Celles-sur-Belle, Deux-Sèvres – 3 April 1987, in Paris) was a French actor. His work included stage acting, roles in TV shows and dubbing American stars. Moreover, he was a fixture in Frenc ...

as The technician

Release history and facts

The movie is infamous in Italy for a Cinema Statuto fire in a cinema in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

in which it was projected, killing 64 people.

Reception

The film received favorable reviews, with praise for Richard and Depardieu's performances, story and humour. The film was nominated for

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

of 1985 by the U.S.

National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

References

La Chevre/Knock On Wood
at Films de France site.

External links

* * * *
Trailer
1981 films 1980s adventure comedy films French comedy road movies 1980s comedy road movies Mexican comedy films 1980s French-language films Films directed by Francis Veber Films scored by Vladimir Cosma French adventure comedy films 1980s buddy comedy films 1981 comedy films Films about accountants 1980s French films 1980s Mexican films {{1980s-France-film-stub