The Exchange Student

1967 1h 25m FR

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 317

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Monsieur Bosquier, the owner of a private school, is far from pleased when his eldest son, Philippe, fails his end of year exams. He decides to send his wayward offspring to England to improve his English. In exchange, Philippe’s host, a wealthy whisky distiller, Mac Farrel, will send his daughter, Shirley, to live with the Bosquiers in France. However, Philippe has already decided to spend the summer holidays on a yacht with his friends, so he sends a fellow student, Michonnet, to England in his place. The deception is soon discovered but things go from bad to worse when Philippe and Shirley fall in love and fly to Scotland to get married...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Louis de Funès
Charles Bosquier
Ferdy Mayne
Mac Farrell
Martine Kelly
Shirley MacFarrell
François Leccia
Philippe Bosquier
Olivier de Funès
Gérard Bosquier
Claude Gensac
Isabelle Bosquier
Maurice Risch
Stéphane Michonnet
Jacques Dynam
Croizac

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean Girault
Writers: Jean Girault, Jacques Vilfrid
Languages: English, French
Countries: France, Italy

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

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

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59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 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#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Louis de Funès and Ferdy Mayne and Martine Kelly carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean Girault directs. Marcel Grignon behind the camera. Raymond Lefèvre scores. Jean-Michel Gautier cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
259 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
5Directed by Jean Girault, shot by Marcel Grignon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Raymond Lefèvre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jean-Michel Gautier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Louis de Funès and Ferdy Mayne and Martine Kelly carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0060475 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "paris, france", "scotland", "holiday", "seine".