Les Visiteurs
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- For other uses, see Visitor (disambiguation)
Les Visiteurs (English: "The Visitors") is a French film directed by Jean-Marie Poiré and released in 1993.
In this comedy, a 12th-century knight and his servant travel in time to the end of the 20th century and find themselves adrift in modern society.
Les Visiteurs held the record for cinema ticket sales in France (13,664,000) from 1993 to 1998 (when it was outsold by Titanic). Reno and Clavier later reprised their roles in an Americanised remake of the movie entitled Just Visiting.
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[edit] Story
In the year 1112, Godefroy, Count of Appremont and Papincourt, saves the head of his beloved sovereign, King Louis VI "Le Gros" (the fat) from the sword of a "horribilis" Englishman. For this action of bravery, the King makes him Count of Montmirail and gives him the woman he loves, the beautiful Frenegonde. On his way to go to the castle to marry Frenegonde, Godefroy is poisoned by a witch that he had earlier made his prisoner. Under the effects of the poison, Godefroy kills the father of his future wife, the Duke of Pouille. To repair his mistake, Godefroy asks a wizard to send him back in time to a moment before he shot. Unfortunately the old wizard makes an error with his magical spell, and accidentally sends Godefroy and his servant Jaquouille to the year 1992.
[edit] Technical data
- Original title: les Visiteurs
- Alternate title: les Visiteurs: Ils ne sont pas nés d'hier ("The Visitors: They Weren't Born Yesterday")
- Director: Jean-Marie Poiré
- Written by: Christian Clavier and Jean-Marie Poiré
- Production companies: Alpilles Productions, Amigo Productions, France 3 Cinema, Gaumont International, StudioCanal
- Producer: Alain Terzian
- Original music: Eric Lévi
- Additional music: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
- Director of photography: Jean-Yves Le Mener
- Editor: Catherine Kelber
- Production design??: Hugues Tissandier
- Costume design: Catherine Leterrier
- French film
- Duration: 107 minutes
- Genre: comedy
- Date of release: January 27, 1993
[edit] Cast
- Christian Clavier: Jacquouille la fripouille/Jacques-Henri Jacquard
- Jean Reno: Godefroy de Papincourt, Count of Montmirail
- Valérie Lemercier: Frédégonde de Pouille/Béatrice de Montmirail
- Christian Bujeau: Jean-Pierre
- Marie-Anne Chazel: Ginette
- Isabelle Nanty: 'Fabienne Morlot
- Gérard Séty: Edgar Bernay
- Didier Pain: King Louis VI the Fat
- Jean-Paul Muel: Maréchal-des-Logis Gibon
- Arielle Séménoff: Jacqueline
- Michel Peyrelon: Édouard Bernay
- Pierre Vial: Eusebius the wizard/Monsieur Ferdinand
- François Lalande: Prêtre
- Didier Bénureau: Doctor Beauvin
- Frédéric Baptiste: Freddy
[edit] Sequel
A sequel, Les Visiteurs 2, was released to a generally poor reception. Some factors contributing to the disapointment of the French audience include the fact that some of the actors had been changed and that the film contained advertisements for various brands.
