Umbrella Coup

1980 1h 35m FR

👍

6.9

SOLID

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 199★6.6IMDB · 3,210

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Grégoire Lecomte, the unlucky actor anxious to find a "real job", goes to take a screen test for a role of a killer, but gets to mafiosi by mistake. He takes their don for a producer, and they mistake him for a hitman with whom they had an appointment. Deluded Lecomte signs contract with them. He is supposed to kill gun dealer Otto Krampe at his birthday party in Saint-Tropez by piercing him with a cap of the umbrella with a built-in syringe with potassium cyanide. Lecomte is not aware that it has to be a real murder.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Pierre Richard
Grégoire Lecomte, acteur à mi-temps, dragueur à plein temps
Valérie Mairesse
Sylvette, alias Bunny, inspecteur à la D.S.T.
Christine Murillo
Josyane Leblanc, contractuelle parisienne, régulière de Grégoire
Gérard Jugnot
Frédo, agent artistique de Grégoire
Gordon Mitchell
Moskovitz, le tueur à gages
Roger Carel
Salvatore Bozzoni, couturier et fournisseur de poison
Gert Fröbe
Otto Krampe, dit La Baleine
Maurice Risch
Le producteur de Paris

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gérard Oury
Writers: Danièle Thompson, Gérard Oury
Languages: French, Russian
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gérard Oury, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Pierre Richard and Valérie Mairesse and Christine Murillo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0080565 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gérard Oury directs. Henri Decaë behind the camera. Vladimir Cosma scores. Albert Jurgenson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

146 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Russian.
3Directed by Gérard Oury, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Vladimir Cosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Albert Jurgenson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Pierre Richard and Valérie Mairesse and Christine Murillo carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0080565 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.