''The Wise Guys'' (U.S. video title: ''Jailbirds' Vacation'') (french: Les Grandes Gueules) is a 1965 French drama film directed by

Robert Enrico Robert Georgio Enrico (13 April 1931 – 23 February 2001) was a French film director and scriptwriter best known for making the Oscar-winning short ''An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'' (1961). He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the nort ...

, based on a novel by José Giovanni. Featuring two popular male leads in

Bourvil André Robert Raimbourg (; 27 July 1917 – 23 September 1970), better known as André Bourvil (), and mononymously as Bourvil, was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy films, most notably in his collaboration with Louis ...

and Lino Ventura, it tells the story of a man struggling to get his ancient family sawmill back into production, despite violent opposition from competitors and betrayal by his right-hand man. It was the eighth most popular film at the French box office in 1965.

Plot

When his father dies, Hector returns after 20 years in Canada to the Vosges mountains in order to take over the family sawmill. Remote and antiquated, it cannot compete with modern concerns and nobody wants to work there. At an auction, he runs into two ex-convicts, Laurent and Mick, who are looking for a job. Laurent persuades Hector to recruit a group of parolees from the local prison. At first, the arrangement works well. With a labour force who are paid little and cannot leave, he is able to get the sawmill into production again. This incurs the wrath of Therraz, owner of a timber business further down the valley who does not want a competitor with lower costs, and battles ensue between rival groups of woodcutters. One parolee, called Reichmann, was held back and eventually Hector is told that he will be arriving by bus the day after the village fête. The workers are enjoying the fête until a group of Therraz's men break it up in an epic battle. When the police arrive, Mick is found dead. Next morning, when Hector goes to pick up Reichmann, the man is not there. Returning to the sawmill, he finds the police taking all the parolees back to jail and learns that Laurent's motive for hiring them was to get Reichmann into a lonely place where he could kill him. In despair at the treachery, and the failure of his dream, Hector decides to burn down the sawmill and die in the flames. Laurent, who was heading off for Italy, repents and rushes back to the mill, just in time to save him.

Cast

as Hector Valentin * Lino Ventura as Laurent * as Mick *

Jess Hahn Jesse Beryle Hahn (October 29, 1921June 29, 1998) was an American-French character actor who mostly starred in French films. Biography After serving with the Marines in the Second World War, he moved to France in 1949 and took French citizen ...

as Nénesse *

Marie Dubois Marie Dubois (born Claudine Lucie Pauline Huzé; 12 January 1937 – 15 October 2014) was a Parisian-born French actress. Career She studied at l'École de la rue Blanche (ENSATT) and made her film debut in 1959, first gaining notice the next ...

as Jackie *

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. ...

as Skida * Nick Stephanini as Therraz *

Paul Crauchet Paul Crauchet (14 July 1920 – 19 December 2012) was a French actor. Biography As a young man interested in aviation and rugby, Paul Crauchet discovered a passion for the theatre at the age of 23. He settled in Paris in 1945, he studied un ...

as Pelissier

References

External links

* 1965 films Films based on works by José Giovanni Films directed by Robert Enrico Films scored by François de Roubaix French drama films Italian drama films Films with screenplays by José Giovanni Films set in forests 1960s Italian films 1960s French films {{1960s-drama-film-stub