''Delusions of Grandeur'' (french: La Folie des grandeurs) is a 1971

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

comedy film directed by

Gérard Oury Gérard Oury (born Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum; 29 April 1919 – 20 July 2006) was a French film director, actor and writer. Life and career Max-Gérard Houry-Tannenbaum was the only son of Serge Tannenbaum, a violinist of Russian-Jewish orig ...

. It is a comedic adaptation of the play '' Ruy Blas'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

Plot

In the 17th century Spanish Empire, Don Salluste ( Louis de Funès) works as a dishonest and greedy finance minister who is strongly disliked by the peasants. After being fired by the Queen ( Karin Schubert) over allegations he illegitimately fathered a child with a royal handmaid, Salluste plots to get his revenge by compromising the Queen by getting a nobleman to seduce her, which would anger the King ( Alberto de Mendoza). When Don César ( Gabriele Tinti), Salluste's noble relative, declines to help him, Salluste hires his valet, Blaze ( Yves Montand), who he introduces as Don César; he sells the real César into slavery in the Barbary Coast. Though the Queen is willing to enter a relationship with "César", Salluste's plans are unintentionally obstructed by Dona Juana (

Alice Sapritch Alice Sapritch (29 July 1916 – 24 March 1990) was a French film actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1950 and 1989. Partial filmography * ''Le tampon du capiston'' (1950) - La pharmacienne * ''Le crime du Bouif'' (1952) * ''If Pari ...

), an old duanna who is infatuated with Blaze, much to his chagrin. Blaze takes Salluste's former position as finance minister. However, unlike Salluste, Blaze is generous and institutes many reforms: he gives almost all of Salluste's riches to the peasants, and heavily taxes the rich instead of the poor. This makes Blaze the target of ire among the nobles, who attempt to assassinate him. Salluste learns of a plot to poison Blaze's cake at his birthday celebration in a villa and warns Blaze; the two fight their way out, evading their pursuers by trapping them in a

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

ring. However, upon escaping, Salluste captures Blaze. Meanwhile, in the Barbary Coast, the real César is working as a slave for a

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

chief, pushing a wheel alongside other slaves to water the chief's

potted plant Container gardening or pot gardening/farming is the practice of growing plants, including edible plants, exclusively in containers instead of planting them in the ground. A container in gardening is a small, enclosed and usually portable object ...

. Using the Bedouins' prayers as a distraction, César escapes and travels back to Spain, where he watches Salluste take Blaze captive. After using an uncooperative parrot to relay an invitation to the Queen (and also unintentionally Dona Juana), Salluste imprisons Blaze in his villa, where he explains his new plan: he will bring the Queen to the room, knock both of them out, leave them in bed together, and call the King to investigate. César locates the villa and confronts Blaze, and the two work together to thwart Salluste. Dona Juana arrives and attempts to seduce Blaze, but she drinks a laced cup of wine and falls unconscious. When the Queen arrives, Salluste knocks her out with

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...

. After encountering several issues involving the occupants of the bed, Salluste manages to get Blaze and the Queen in bed together. The King and his guards arrive, having been called over by Salluste earlier. However, when Salluste leads the King into the bedroom, he is shocked to find that Blaze is in bed with Dona Juana; Blaze secretly helped César escape with the Queen, and the two of them fall in love. The King, angered at Salluste, orders his guards to capture him. However, he offers Blaze a choice: marry Dona Juana and remain free, or join Salluste in captivity. Blaze chooses the latter, and the two are sentenced to slavery in the Barbary Coast, under the same Bedouin chief from before. Though Salluste and Blaze are apparently content with their life as slaves, Blaze sees Dona Juana in the distance and realizes she has followed him to the Barbary Coast. The film ends with everyone laughing as Blaze flees into the desert, Dona Juana chasing after him.

Cast

* Louis de Funès - Don Salluste de Bazan * Yves Montand - Blaze *

- Dona Juana - la duègne * Karin Schubert - La Reine / The Queen * Alberto de Mendoza - Le Roi / The King *

Jaime de Mora y Aragón Don Jaime de Mora y Aragón (19 July 1925 – 26 July 1995) was a Spanish aristocrat and actor. He appeared in more than thirty films from 1961 to 1995. He was also a brother of Queen Fabiola of Belgium Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy ...

- Un Grand d'Espagne * Eduardo Fajardo - Un Grand d'Espagne *

Antonio Pica Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Pica Serrano (21 March 1933 — 26 April 2014) was a Spanish actor. Pica died on 26 April 2014 at a hospital in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. Filmography * ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964) - Rojo Gang Membe ...

- Un Grand d'Espagne * Joaquín Solís - Un Grand d'Espagne * Venantino Venantini - Del Basto * Gabriele Tinti - Don Cesar * Paul Préboist - The mute * Sal Borgese - Le borgne

Release

The English version of the film was released by Synkronized USA.

References

External links

* * 1971 films Films directed by Gérard Oury Films shot in Barcelona Films shot in Madrid Films set in Spain 1970s French-language films Films based on works by Victor Hugo Films set in the 1690s Films shot in Almería 1970s historical comedy films French historical comedy films 1970s French films {{1970s-comedy-film-stub