''Salad by the Roots'' (french: Des pissenlits par la racine, literally ''(Eating) dandelions by the roots'' which is the French idiom for ''Pushing up the daisies'') is a Franco-Italian comedy directed by

Georges Lautner Georges Lautner (; 24 January 1926 – 22 November 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter, known primarily for his comedies created in collaboration with screenwriter Michel Audiard. Lautner's ventures into other genres were less ...

and released in 1964, a year after his success with Les Tontons flingueurs, which was also set in the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

ian underworld. It benefits from music by

Georges Delerue Georges Delerue (12 March 1925 – 20 March 1992) was a French composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. Delerue won numerous important film music awards, including an Academy Award for '' A Little Romance'' (1980), three C ...

and dialogue by

Michel Audiard Paul Michel Audiard (; 15 May 1920 – 27 July 1985) was a French screenwriter and film director, known for his witty, irreverent and slang-laden dialogues which made him a prominent figure on the French cultural scene of the 1960s and 1970s. He ...

, among whose legendary lines is ''Plus t'as de pognon, moins t'as de principes. L'oseille c'est la gangrène de l'âme.'' (The more loot you've got, the fewer your principles. Lolly is the gangrene of the soul).

Plot

Celebrating their release from prison in a Paris bar, criminal Jo sends his heavy Pommes-Chips to place a big bet. Just as he has done so, putting the ticket in the pocket of his strawberry check coat, in walks another criminal Jack, who during his absence has been living with his girl Rockie. Jack flees into a nearby theatre, which is showing the last night of a poor but popular play based on

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

. Pommes-Chips pursues him and in a running fight is killed by accident. To hide the body, Jack puts it in an empty double-bass case belonging to his cousin Jérôme, who is playing the instrument on stage. Cast and crew all go off to a party, with stagehands bringing the heavy case for Jérôme. Also at the party is Jo, with Rockie who has decided he is a better option. Afterwards, Jack and Jérôme take the case to the house where Jérome lives with his aunt and his uncle, whose hobby is taxidermy. In the morning they find the case empty and the uncle, who is wearing Pommes-Chips' coat, confesses that he could not resist removing all the flesh because he can get a good price for such a fine skeleton. The big race is run and the numbers in Pommes-Chips' coat are the winners. Jo sets Rockie to work on Jérôme, to wheedle him into getting the ticket off his uncle. She seduces him easily enough, and Jo is able to pick the uncle's pocket. Rushing round to the office to claim his winnings, he is told that the ticket he produces does not have the right numbers. Going home, he skilfully alters it to show the winning numbers. The film ends with his arrest for forgery and Rockie saying goodbye as he is led away in handcuffs. Laughing, she jumps into the luxurious convertible Jérôme has bought with the money from the real ticket.

Cast

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 ...

: Jérôme, the double bassist *

Maurice Biraud Maurice Biraud (3 March 1922 – 24 December 1982) was a French film actor. He appeared in 90 films between 1951 and 1982. Biraud was born on 3 March 1922 in Paris. He married actress Françoise Soulié in 1956. He died on 24 December 1982 i ...

: Jo, the released criminal * Mireille Darc : Rockie, the moll *

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

: Jack, criminal cousin of Jérôme *

Francis Blanche François Jean Blanche, known as "Francis Blanche" (20 July 1921 – 6 July 1974) was a French actor, singer, humorist and author. He was a very popular figure on stage, radio and in films, during the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Blanche was ...

: Uncle Absalon * Gianni Musy : Pommes-Chips, the murdered heavy

References

External links

* 1964 films Films directed by Georges Lautner French black-and-white films French comedy films Films scored by Georges Delerue French black comedy films French crime comedy films Films with screenplays by Michel Audiard 1960s French films {{1960s-France-film-stub