ChicRawIdol
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
jotix100
Alexandre, the owner of a large farm in France, does not enjoy a minute of rest for the long hours he puts tending his fields. He cannot stop because his wife, whom he calls La Grande, has a way of reminding him not to slacken on his duties. Naturally, Alexandre resents this nagging woman to the point that he can well do without her. Even when a neighbor offers him a terrier puppy, he must secure his wife's approval to let the dog come live in the well maintained farm.Alas, relief comes in the way of a fatal accident where not only the wife dies, but also his parents. Left alone to his own devices, Alexandre's erases the chores his wife had assigned him to do on a blackboard, writing "Sleep, sleep, and SLEEP", which he proceeds to do for a solid three days. With the help of his intelligent dog, Alexandre prepares his bedroom as a place where he will survive happily arranging everything he needs and having the dog do the menial errands for the supplies he wants from the village store.It does not take long before his neighbors begin getting worried of the transformation. Not only that, they resent the fact that while they are hard at work, Alexandre is enjoying his fishing and naps. Everything changes when a shapely young woman, Agathe, comes to work at the store. She is intrigued about Alexandre, being a lazy woman herself. It does not take too long before he falls in love with Agathe overhearing about the possibilities of being rich by marrying Alexandre so she can one day be the owner of his property, but she does not take into account that the widower knows what is best for him and his beloved dog.A delightful comedy by Yves Robert who also wrote and collaborated with Pierre Levi-Corti in the adaptation for the screen. The idea of a henpecked man suddenly finding his happiness which ensues after the disappearance of his tyrant wife, lends itself to a joyous movie which even forty some odd years still has the ability to delight audiences. The idea of a lazy farmer is something Alexandre's friends and neighbors cannot compute in their minds. Let alone the envy they all feel about a man who suddenly is fulfilling his life by doing absolutely nothing.Philippe Noiret runs away with his winning take of Alexandre. The actor enjoyed a long career in the French cinema and he proves why everything he did always turned out in natural performances. Mr. Noiret was a man who gave the best of him in films because of the charm he exuded. This Alexandre is one of his best creations. Francoise Brion, as La Grande, makes a case for the domineering woman whose sole job was to nag her man to the point that her untimely death is a relief. The wonderful Marlene Jobert makes an amazing Agathe. She was at the height of her popularity and proved to be an asset in anything she played. Others in the supporting cast were a young Pierre Richard, Jean Carmet and especially, Paul Le Person, as the combative Sanguin.Shot in central France, the impressive cinematography by Rene Mathlin shines in the copy we saw recently. There is a tuneful score by Vladimir Cosma. Director Yves Robert gave the public many fine features, as proved by this delightful work.
LCNMedia
Seeing back this old movie from my youth - which was in the sixties one of my father's favourites - is a still a delight.Alexandre le bienheureux is based upon one 'lesson of life': enjoy every minute of your life, and don't let you force to do anything you don't want to do. Not everyone can accept this kind of 'freedom' - and also in the plot, Alexandre is causing to split his village in two parties: one fully fighting his principles, and the other party, fully accepting his new lifestyle, and imitating him in his escapades. Of course, this is a typical French movie of a far away era - but it was able to retain its original, surprising spirit and quality - as well in the scenario and humor, the 'mise en scene', the excellent acting of Philippe Noiret, the sharp dialogs. I admit, it has not the 'fast track' of the present movies, it's surely not the latest 007, but on the other hand, it still has a very gentle and warm way of picturing the French land-life, still to be encountered in some magical, rural corners of France.
husseyj
I saw this movie in 1967 when it was released, and thought it was wonderful. I've managed to find and buy another French movie (with English subtitles from around the same period of time - sold in the U.S.) but after having found "Alexander" and searching the Internet for a U.S. seller, I have had no luck. It appears, from what I can tell, that it's never been dubbed in English or has had a version made with English subtitles. I noticed that Amazon.com in France seems to be selling it on DVD (in French) but this would be extremely time consuming - with money conversion and transcontinental red tape, and it would probably be more costly than buying it in the U.S., etc. If someone has any information to the contrary, I would be very interested.
poflaatten
The second time I saw this film was on TV in France, on a Sunday afternoon in the seventies. I had enjoyed it so much the first time that I had no hesitation in settling down to see it again. Halfway through the film I was getting puzzled by stuff I didn't remember -- and it wasn't until nearly the end that I realized that the first time I saw the film was on an airplane across the Atlantic, where I had omitted to rent headsets. So the soundtrack was all new! Needless to say, the actual sound of Noiret's horn and the dialogue (especially the kids) didn't make me enjoy it any less. But it is a sign of true comic genius that you can be that funny even with the sound turned off -- in a class with Tati and Chaplin.I'd love to find a DVD of this film too. I don't believe it was ever released on NTSC videotape.
