MYST Post #4: Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob

To be honest, I don't really know what possessed me to watch this film, and maybe that's what made my experience so much better.  I have never particularly been interested in foreign films, and in broader terms I haven't really branched out into the indie scene either, but as I've gotten older my tastes have widened and I can appreciate the different cultures and their artistic values.

Okay, I'm kidding I know exactly why I watched this movie - I was forced to... As part of this diversifying of curriculum we have in our wonderful district 86 classes, my french teacher decided to show us famous and in many cases, very controversial films just east of the Atlantic.  And as it turns out, this film doesn't shy away from it's fair share of satirical commentary.

Being of french diccent, as well as a having taken french for more years than I can count on 2 hands, I consider myself very much a local frenchman and figured this movie was worth a watch in french with no subtitles, and in an environment I could actually focus in and not do other homework during class, my basement.

So as I watched on, I noticed 2 main things.  The first being that this movie is actually funny as hell, and the second being that the acting in foreign films, no matter how big the budget, looks much more natural than in their American counterparts... Let me explain.  As I watched on, I saw how you could really get the Autour feel, and even the actors didn't seem to be acting, just doing.  I don't know if I'm preaching to deaf ears, and I guess the fact that I don't know how to back this up makes me look absurd, but even in the movie "Breathless" I could get the feel of the "cool" french culture.  I imagine an American rendition of the film looking forced and awkward but I guess that's why there isn't one.

Back to the movie, which basically follows the transformation of a racist factory owner, Victor Pivert, and the crazy events that change him into a man who is loving of all cultures.  One of my favorite scenes includes Pivert walking into an abandon factory and falling into a giant tub of gum extract.  The scene basically follows slapstick elements and eventually culminates with him crudely insulting the Muslim assassins.

In the end, I wish I knew more about the actors and the director to be able to see just how this movie ranks in comparison to other french films, but I think Gerard Oury did a fantastic job.  The thing that makes this film so successful in my mind is that it doesn't do anything spectacular in cinematography it's just a comedy with a funny commentary on the problems with racism in our society.  IMDb gave it a 7.2 and in my opinion it deserves an 8.0 - definitely worth watching, and an entertaining enough movie to really get you hooked on foreign films.