The Gendarme Takes Off

1970 1h 30m FR

😐

6.3

MID

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 569★6.5IMDB · 7,909

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The whole clique of Cruchot's police station is retired. Now he lives with his rich wife in her castle - and is bored almost to death. He fights with the butler, because he isn't even allowed to do the simple works. But when one of the clique suffers from amnesia after an accident, all of the others reunite and kidnap him, to take him on a tour to their old working places and through their memories. In their old uniforms they turn St. Tropez upside down.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Louis de Funès
Ludovic Cruchot
Jean Lefebvre
Lucien Fougasse
Guy Grosso
Gaston Tricard
Michel Modo
Jules Berlicot
Nicole Vervil
Cécilia Gerber
France Rumilly
Schwester Clothilde
Yves Vincent
Colonel
Christian Marin
Albert Merlot

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean Girault
Writers: Jean Girault, Richard Balducci, Jacques Vilfrid
Languages: 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

RUNTIME

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

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 Pierre Montazel. 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 Armand Psenny 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 Jean Lefebvre and Guy Grosso carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0065769 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean Girault directs. Pierre Montazel behind the camera. Raymond Lefèvre scores. Armand Psenny cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Jean Girault, shot by Pierre Montazel. 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 Armand Psenny shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Louis de Funès and Jean Lefebvre and Guy Grosso carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0065769 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "amnesia", "hippie", "chaos", "retiree".
10Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Pierre Montazel
Original score: Raymond Lefèvre
Editing: Armand Psenny
Production design: Sydney Bettex
Costume design: Jacques Cottin
Makeup / hair: Michel Deruelle
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Gendarme Takes Off (1970)
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 7,909 votes

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.