The Counterfeit Constable

The Counterfeit Constable (French: Allez France!) is a 1964 French comedy film directed by Robert Dhéry and Pierre Tchernia and starring Ronald Fraser, Diana Dors and Arthur Mullard.[1]

The Counterfeit Constable
Directed byRobert Dhéry
Pierre Tchernia
Written byColette Brosset
Aubrey Cash
Robert Dhéry
Jean L'Hôte
Francis O'Neill
Pierre Tchernia
Suzanne Wiesenfeld
Produced byHenri Diamant-Berger
StarringRobert Dhéry
Ronald Fraser
Diana Dors
CinematographyJean Tournier
Edited byAlbert Jurgenson
Music byGérard Calvi
Production
company
Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique
Distributed byS.N. Prodis
Release date
10 October 1964
Running time
90 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

Plot

A French rugby supporter (Robert Dhéry), in England for a match at Twickenham, is accidentally elbowed in the face and loses two teeth. He goes to the dentist who fits new teeth and tells him he musn't open his mouth for two hours, to allow the cement holding them to set properly. He starts to wait, and in the waiting room he sees the uniform of another patient, who's a policeman (Bernard Cribbins). He tries it on for fun, and while wearing it by sheer chance he saves Diana Dors, a movie star who lives next door. He is congratulated by police chiefs who take him for a true police officer. He can't tell them he isn't because he can't open his mouth and besides, he doesn't speak English. He becomes lost in London, and many misunderstandings and misadventures follow. And to make matters worse he needs to return home to France urgently as he is due to be married.

Main cast

Production

Diana Dors was then living in Los Angeles but returned to Europe to make the film.[2]

Location shooting took place around London. Interiors were shot at Shepperton Studios and the Billancourt Studios in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jean Mandaroux.

Review

Although it is a French film, The Counterfeit Constable nevertheless carries all the hallmarks and shows the type of humour found in an Ealing comedy. This is probably because nearly half the cast were composed of British actors and the film was mostly set in London.

References

  1. BFI.org
  2. Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020). "A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee". Filmink.
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