The Gendarme and the Creatures from Outer Space

1979 1h 36m FR

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 690

ComedyScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The bungling inspector Cruchot finds himself trying to save the residents of St. Tropez from some oil-drinking humanoid aliens. The only way to tell the aliens from the real people, besides their constant thirst for oil-products, is that they sound like empty garbage cans when you touch them. Chaos is ahead.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

France Channel Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Cast

Louis de Funès
Ludovic Cruchot
Michel Galabru
Jérôme Gerber
Maurice Risch
Henri Beaupied
Jean-Pierre Rambal
Charles Taupin
Guy Grosso
Gaston Tricard
Michel Modo
Jules Berlicot
France Rumilly
Soeur Clotilde
Jean-Roger Caussimon
L'évêque

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean Girault
Writers: Jacques Vilfrid, Louis de Funès, Gérard Beytout
Languages: English, French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jean Girault, shot by Didier Tarot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Raymond Lefèvre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michel Lewin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Louis de Funès and Michel Galabru and Maurice Risch carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0079200 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean Girault directs. Didier Tarot behind the camera. Raymond Lefèvre scores. Michel Lewin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

147 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
3Part of the "Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Jean Girault, shot by Didier Tarot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Raymond Lefèvre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Michel Lewin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Louis de Funès and Michel Galabru and Maurice Risch carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0079200 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "cyborg", "gendarmerie", "space invasion", "saint-tropez, france".

The technical file

Cinematography: Didier Tarot
Original score: Raymond Lefèvre
Editing: Michel Lewin
Production design: Sydney Bettex
Costume design: Jacques Cottin
Makeup / hair: Anny Arguedas
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Gendarme and the Creatures from Outer Space (1979)

Part of

Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez Collection

The Gendarme collection is a series of French comic films created by Jean Girault and Richard Balducci, starring Louis de Funès as the protagonist Ludovic Cruchot, a sergeant of the gendarmerie. The story focuses on the every-day life of the police troop of Saint-Tropez - a fashionable seaside town located on the French Riviera. Six films were released in a period of eighteen years, starting in 1964.