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The poetic awkwardness of Pierre Richard. Mireille Darc in her daring Guy Laroche low-cut dress. Vladimir Cosma's unforgettable musical theme. Timeless cult quotes. These are just a few of the things that make The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe one of the enduring delights of French comedy.

Colonel Louis Marie Alphonse Toulouse (Jean Rochefort), the head of French espionage, and his deputy and rival, Bernard Milan (Bernard Blier), put more energy into fighting each other than in defeating the enemies of the state. After one last blow, Toulouse devises a Machiavellian plan to undermine Milan: his agents are to choose a random man in the crowd and designate him to Milan as a dangerous spy. Milan falls into the trap and pursue his innocent victim, harmless violinist Francois Perrin (beloved comic Pierre Richard, Lost in Paris - SFFF Mini Fest 2016), sending his sexiest spy, Christine (the unforgettable Mireille Darc) to make him talk. Meanwhile, the fight between Milan and Toulouse’s men intensifies and the corpses multiply while Francois always ends up safe thanks to his clumsiness and naiveté.

A French comedy classic, The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe exemplifies the "comédie policière” that was hugely popular in France in the 1960's and 70's and indeed, the film was a huge box-office success upon its release. Its success has only grown with time and today, when shown on French TV, it can still be relied upon to attract a considerable audience.

The film was co-written by Francis Veber, who went on to become a successful comic director (La Chèvre, The Dinner Game, and The Closet). In 1974, the team was reunited in Le Retour du Grand Blond. The original film was remade in Hollywood in 1985 as The Man with One Red Shoe, starring Tom Hanks and Dabney Coleman.

Shown with SIROCCO by Romain Garcia, Kevin Tarpinian, Avril Hug, Thomas Lopez-Massy, Lauren Madec (MOPA)