''Gramps Is in the Resistance'' or Papy fait de la résistance is a French war comedy film directed by

Jean-Marie Poiré Jean-Marie Poiré (; born 10 July 1945) is a French film director, and screenwriter. He is the son of the producer Alain Poiré. Filmography As director * ''Les petits câlins'' (''The Little Wheedlers'') (1978) * ''Retour en force'' (''Return i ...

in 1983.

Plot

Héléna Bourdelle, a.k.a. "La Bourdelle", is a world-renowned opera singer and the wife of maestro André Bourdelle. They live in a luxurious

hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side an ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, with their three grown-up children—Bernadette, Colette and Guy-Hubert—and André's father, known as "Gramps". When Nazi Germany occupies France, André becomes a leader of a

Resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

cell but he is killed by the accidental explosion of a grenade. Two years later, the family's mansion is requisitioned by the German occupation authorities to accommodate

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

General Hermann Spontz, transferred from Eastern Front to Paris. The Germans brutally take over the whole house and leave the family occupying the cellar, and complaining to the

Kommandantur This is a list of words, terms, concepts and slogans of Nazi Germany used in the historiography covering the Nazi regime. Some words were coined by Adolf Hitler and other Nazi Party members. Other words and concepts were borrowed and appropriated, ...

about the excesses of Spontz and his men. While in the Kommandantur, Madame Bourdelle, her daughter Bernadette and Michel Taupin, a tenant in the family house, help by chance the escape a British

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

airman, and are then forced to hide him in their cellar. Michel Taupin woos without success Bernadette, after initially having views on Colette. His insistent desire to join the Resistance leads to many adventures. Imprisoned after the episode at the Kommandantur, he meets a resistant, Felix, who confides in him, thinking he is about to be shot by the Germans. When they are freed by an elusive vigilante known as "Super-Resistant", Felix finds himself unable to get rid of Michel. The family is also persecuted by Adolfo Ramirez, the former

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

caretaker and a fierce collaborationist who has become a

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

agent. Ramirez seeks to take revenge on the Bourdelles but they are protected by General Spontz, who is an admirer of Héléna Bourdelle and who has a soft spot for Bernadette. Ramirez finally discovers that Guy-Hubert, son of the family, a seemingly cowardly and effeminate hairdresser, is actually "Super-Resistant" and the boss of Felix, but Spontz does not believe him. Although she had vowed not to sing while there were Germans in France, Madame Bourdelle is forced by General Spontz to attend a reception in honour of Hitler's half-brother, Marshal Ludwig von Apfelstrudel, held in a castle near Paris. With the help of Michel Taupin, the Resistance plans to detonate a bomb in the dining room. The operation fails and the Bourdelles and Taupin are about to be arrested but they are saved by Super-Resistant, who captures von Apfelstrudel and all the German generals, with the help of his men and of Gramps. The story seems to end, but proves to be a "

film within the film A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a literary device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one). Multiple layers of stories within stories are sometimes c ...

," and gives way to a contemporary television debate, designed to address the period of occupation, and to report on the reality of the depicted events in the film. The show brings together Bernadette Bourdelle and General Spontz (now happily married), Guy-Hubert, Adolfo Ramirez Jr. (son of Ramirez, who came from Bolivia to defend his father's memory), and Michel Taupin (now Minister of Veterans Affairs). Soon, the discussion turns to disaster: Ramirez Jr. insults and defames the other protagonists of the story, who start to beat him up on the TV set, forcing the host to cut the transmission.

Cast

Christian Clavier Christian Jean-Marie Clavier (; born 6 May 1952) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He became widely popular after starring in two hit comedy series: Patrice Leconte's ''Les Bronzés'' and ''Les Visiteurs'' directed by Je ...

as Michel Taupin, professor of Greek and Latin *

Michel Galabru Michel Louis Edmond Galabru (27 October 19224 January 2016) was a French actor. Career Galabru appeared in more than 250 films and worked with directors such as Bertrand Blier, Costa-Gavras, Luc Besson (for '' Subway''), and Jean-Luc Godard. ...

as Jean-Robert Bourdelle "Gramps" *

Dominique Lavanant Dominique Lavanant (born 24 May 1944) is a César Award-winning French film and theatrical actress. She is known for her comedy skills especially with posh and distinguished characters like Rosalind Russell's; characters often defined by the ad ...

as Bernadette Bourdelle *

Jacqueline Maillan Jacqueline Jeanne Paule Maillan (11 January 1923 - 12 May 1992) was a French actress with a career spanning almost five decades, known primarily for her forty theatre productions, she also appeared in more than fifty films (1947 to 1992) and is ...

as Héléna Bourdelle *

Jacques Villeret Jacques Villeret (; 6 February 1951 – 28 January 2005) was a French actor, best known internationally for his role as François Pignon in the comedy ''Le Dîner de Cons''. During his career, he earned many awards including the prestigious ...

as Ludwig Von Apfelstrudel, Hitler's half-brother *

Roland Giraud Roland Giraud is a French actor. He married actress Maaike Jansen in 1966. Giraud began his theatrical training in the 1960s and joined Coluche's theatrical company in 1971. Around this time he worked also with the troupe, Le Splendid. His fir ...

as General Hermann Spontz *

Gérard Jugnot Gérard Jugnot (; born 4 May 1951) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. Jugnot was one of the founders of the comedy ''troupe'' Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian Cl ...

as Adolfo Ramirez and Adolfo Ramirez Jr. *

Martin Lamotte Martin Lamotte (born 2 June 1947) is a French actor, comedian and director. He participated in several films alongside Le Splendid Le Splendid is a café-théâtre company founded by a collection of writers and actors in the 1970s - Christi ...

as Guy-Hubert Bourdelle / Super-Resistant *

Pauline Lafont Pauline Lafont (6 April 196311 August 1988) was a French actress. She was the daughter of film star Bernadette Lafont and Diourka Medveczky, a Hungarian sculptor. Born Pauline Aïda Simone Medveczky in Nîmes, France, she died in a hiking accid ...

as Colette Bourdelle *

Jean Carmet Jean Carmet (25 April 1920 – 20 April 1994) was a French actor. Life and career Jean Carmet began working on stage and then in film in the early 1940s becoming a very popular comedic actor in his native country. He is best known internatio ...

as André Bourdelle * Julien Guiomar as Colonel Vincent * Josiane Balasko as the pharmacist *

Michel Blanc Michel Blanc (born 16 April 1952) is a French actor, writer and director. He is noted for his roles of losers and hypochondriacs. He is frequently associated with Le Splendid, which he co-founded, along with Thierry Lhermitte, Josiane Balasko, ...

as Father Leboeuf, the priest *

Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director. Early life Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland ...

as tennis player sycophant * Bernard Giraudeau as resistant arrested *

Jacques François Henri Jacques Daniel Paul François (16 May 1920 – 25 November 2003), known as Jacques François was a French actor. During a sixty-year career (1942–2002) he appeared in more than 120 films and over 30 stage productions. In 1948 he we ...

as Jacques de Frémontel, "Félix" * Thierry Lhermitte as SS Standartenführer * Jean Yanne as militiaman Murat *

Roger Carel Roger Carel (born Roger Bancharel; 14 August 1927 – 11 September 2020) was a French actor, known for his recurring film roles as Asterix, the French voice of '' Star Wars C-3PO, and the French voice of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Rabbit in ...

as General Muller *

Bruno Moynot Bruno Moynot (born 20 December 1950, in Bois-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France ) is a French actor and theatre director. Part of the famous French comedy group Le Splendid, he is best known for his roles in Patrice Leconte's ''Les Bronzés'' ...

as Flandu *

Jean Négroni Jean Négroni (4 December 1920 – 28 May 2005) was a French actor and theatre director particularly known for his voice work, such as his role as the narrator in ''La Jetée'' (1962). Biography Jean Négroni was educated in theater by Albert Cam ...

as the narrator

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0086079 1983 films 1983 comedy films French comedy films 1980s French-language films Films about the French Resistance Films directed by Jean-Marie Poiré 1980s French films