La Grande Vadrouille Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

La Grande Vadrouille Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 28, 2017

Gerard Oury's "La Grande Vadrouille" a.k.a. "Don’t Look Now, We’re Being Shot At" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. There are no supplemental features on the disc. In French, with optional English, French, and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Clueless

During the years international distributors have used a couple of different titles to promote this classic French comedy, but on a number of occasions I have seen it screened in the United States with its original French title, La Grande Vadrouille. StudioCanal’s 50th anniversary edition of the film, which is sourced from a new 4K restoration, uses the alternative title Don’t Look Now, We’re Being Shot At. (Another alternative title that has been used in English-speaking markets is The Great Stroll).

The action takes place during WW2, shortly after the Allies have launched an ambitious offensive. A British plane with a couple of dimwitted RAF pilots gets lost and somehow ends up in Paris, where German air patrols promptly take it down. Sir Reginald (Terry-Thomas, School for Scoundrels) and his boys manage to jump off the plane before it crashes, but end up in opposite parts of the city and without a clue how to reach a popular Turkish bath where they are supposed to regroup. In the ensuing chaos, the Brits become involved with the incredibly temperamental conductor Stanislas Lefort (Louis de Funes, The Gendarme and the Creatures from Outter Space) ) and the dopey painter Augustin Bouvet (Bourvil, The Sucker), as they reluctantly agree to help them get to a friendly territory. For a while the Brits and their new French pals manage to stay a few steps ahead of the German invaders, but after a series of forced errors seriously complicate their mission.

The plot of course is quite ridiculous, but this is a moot point to bring up. Director Gerard Oury, who also wrote the script for the film, boldly rejects authenticity and instead encourages the stars to make the best of the various ridiculous situations that their characters are presented with. So right from the get-go the film essentially uses the plot as an excuse to set up a giant competition in which the stars repeatedly attempt to outdo each other.

The bulk of the action has the energy of Chaplin’s best work, but in its entirety the film is probably a lot easier to compare to the various comedies that the great Ernst Lubitsch directed (To Be or Not to Be). Admittedly, there are a few awkward moments where the exchanges -- in English, French and German -- between Funes, Bourvil and Terry-Thomas and some of their German opponents become a bit too cartoonish, but the brilliant visuals typically quickly compensate for them and restore the proper rhythm of the film. Funes, in particular, does some spectacular work and is frequently incredibly entertaining.

The key locations that were selected for the big action footage as well as the various production credits are outstanding. After the recent 4K restoration, it is also easier than even before to appreciate the artistic vision of Oury and cinematographer Claude Renoir.

*In addition to the original French audio track, the release contains the original German (1967) dub track with the initial theatrical edits, plus the final German dub track (1974).

La Grande Vadrouille Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.50:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gérard Oury's Don't Look Now, We're Being Shot At arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from a new 4K restoration of the film which was commissioned to celebrate its 50th anniversary. In terms of detail, clarity and depth the improvements are indeed quite dramatic. I have an old French DVD release of this film and a quick comparison immediately revealed a massive gap in quality. Density and stability are also much better, and especially on larger screens the upgrades could and should be quite overwhelming. My one and only minor criticism pertains to the color grading. I find it a tad inconsistent because in a select areas I would have preferred to have slightly cooler primaries and nuances, but the overall balance is still very good. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

La Grande Vadrouille Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (1974), and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (1967 and 1974). Optional English, French, and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, the English subtitles appear inside the image frame (but only when French and German are spoken).

The original French track has been fully remixed and it is very easy to tell. Clarity, depth, and balance are outstanding. Georges Auric's orchestral score appears to have benefited the most because I did some random comparisons and it seems to be breathing a lot easier throughout the entire film. The dialog is stable, clean, and very easy to follow.

La Grande Vadrouille Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this release.

La Grande Vadrouille Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This was one of my favorite Blu-ray releases from 2016. The film is an undisputed classic but it seems like it was largely ignored during the DVD era and a lot of people are unfamiliar with it. Now it has been restored in 4K, and I think that it actually looks quite spectacular in high-definition. Hopefully this release will find a large enough audience and StudioCanal will consider bringing to Blu-ray in the United Kingdom some of the other recently remastered classic Louis de Funes comedies that have emerged in France. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.