The Magnificent One

"THE WRITER'S DREAM, HIS REALITY, AND THE TYPEWRITER IN-BETWEEN"

1973 1h 35m FR

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 398

ComedyRomanceActionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A writer of pulpy book series in which he's the hero and his beautiful English roommate is the love interest attempts to finish his new book in time at the publisher's demand.

“THE WRITER'S DREAM, HIS REALITY, AND THE TYPEWRITER IN-BETWEEN”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

France Channel Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo
François Merlin / Bob Saint-Clar
Jacqueline Bisset
Christine / Tatiana
Vittorio Caprioli
Georges Charron / Colonel Karpov
Hans Meyer
Colonel Collins
Monique Tarbès
Mrs. Berger
Mario David
Traffic policeman in the rain
Bruno Garcin
Pilu
Raymond Gérôme
General Pontaubert

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Philippe de Broca
Writers: Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Philippe de Broca, Vittorio Caprioli
Languages: Albanian, 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

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Albanian, English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Philippe de Broca, shot by René Mathelin. 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 Claude Bolling. 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 Henri Lanoë 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

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jacqueline Bisset and Vittorio Caprioli carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "THE WRITER'S DREAM, HIS REALITY, AND THE TYPEWRITER IN-BETWEEN".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Philippe de Broca directs. René Mathelin behind the camera. Claude Bolling scores. Henri Lanoë cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in Albanian, English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

153 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Albanian, English, French.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
4Directed by Philippe de Broca, shot by René Mathelin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Claude Bolling. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Henri Lanoë shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jacqueline Bisset and Vittorio Caprioli carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "THE WRITER'S DREAM, HIS REALITY, AND THE TYPEWRITER IN-BETWEEN".
9IMDB entry: tt0070354 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "dreams", "paris, france", "espionage", "spy".
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: René Mathelin
Original score: Claude Bolling
Editing: Henri Lanoë
Makeup / hair: Charly Koubesserian
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Magnificent One (1973)

Also by

Philippe de Broca

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522021-05-28
★ 7/10
Interesting adventure-comedy started off shaky for me as the first 10-15 minutes was an over-the-top, unfunny spy spoof only to reveal it came from the mind of a novelist writing... an over-the-top spy book. Picks up from there going back and forth from the novel to real world. As a whole not great but Jacqueline Bissett was always easy on the eyes and has some nice scenes with lead Jean-Paul Belmondo. 3.5/5

Production companies