The French They Are a Funny Race They Fight With Their Feet

The French, They Are a Funny Race

An Englishman tries to adapt to life in France

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The Diary of Major Thompson

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Sarris's "Far Side of Paradise" entry for Sturges in The American Cinema (1969). "Far Side of Paradise" refers to "the directors who fall short of the Pantheon either because of a fragmentation of their personal vision or because of disruptive career problems."

Acknowledged as the foremost satirist of his time, Preston Sturges enjoyed his greatest vogue between 1940 and 1944, when his pungent wit and frenetic slapstick exploded on such targets as Tammany Hall politics, advertising, American fertility rites, hero and mother worship. Within the context of a Sturges film, a gangster could declare with ringing, heavily accented conviction: "America is a land of great opportunity." An underpaid clerk could rise to fame and fortune by coining the slogan "If…
Preston Sturges goes abroad to flee creative misfortune, tattered relationships, and tax trouble, then trades sharp screwball satire for … basic observational jokes that feel a bit like a failed standup comedy act? Despite the simplicity of the setups and the punchlines — many of these sequences are literally "The English always be like ___! But the French always be like ___!!!" — they are, ultimately, what works best about this unfortunate cap on a master's career.

In both the vignettes mildly critiquing the habits, idiosyncrasies, and personalities of European culture and in the essentially unnecessary plot connecting them all, you can feel Sturges trying to regain his footing, his craft, and his voice. It's not a failure, but it's…
The French, They Are a Funny Race brought to mind, of all things, those old Disney "How To" shorts starring Goofy, in which a narrator of some refinement and sophistication (usually in a British—or at least mid-Atlantic—accent) explains the ins-and-outs of any number of pastimes, from skiing to fishing to playing baseball, while Goofy attempts—and always bungles—each activity as the narrator describes it. The humor of these cartoons stems primarily from the juxtaposition of the narration—so often light and graceful, peppered with clever quips here and there—with that of the visuals—our dear friend Goofy, succumbing to pratfall after pratfall, rubbery limb entangled in rubbery limb, being anything but light, and exhibiting anything but grace.

The target of The French is…
As a serious fan of Preston Sturges, this was a tough watch. Like Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Late George Apley, it's an intelligent, humorous writer-director I love, making a satire that I find quite uninspired.

There are a couple story strands here: Englishman Major Thompson (Jack Buchanan) dictates a book of his observations of the French people to his adoring secretary (Catherine Boyle), as we watch his observations played out on screen - usually starring friend M. Taupin (Noël-Noël) - as he narrates through his dictation. The other strand pertains to the woman, Ms. Fyfyth (Totti Truman Taylor) Thompson brought over from England to give his son discipline and how wife Martine (Martine Carol) has such an adverse reaction to…
A fun, albeit, low key finale from a filmmaker who is arguably in the top 5 American directors ever. Sturges has better films for sure, but he also has a couple lesser entries. This one is worth seeking out for fans of the director, or people looking for a more offbeat comedy.
My thanks to whichever anonymous person put the DVD rip of this out there. Wish it were a better movie, though. French people act like this...British people act like this! Sturges' direction is stiff, although he must've really loved horses since this is yet another Sturges title where the horse-related sequence is a highlight.
fellas lemme talk to you about my friggin wife and how she won't pork no more, what's the deal with airline food
An English "Gentleman" living in Paris (Jack Buchanan) starts collecting his observations of the French and their habits in the hope of getting them published. However, his home life becomes complicated when his beautiful young wife (Martine Carol) develops an intense dislike for the governess that he has hired for their son.

A bit of a curiosity really. Also known by the title The French, They Are a Funny Race, Preston Sturges' final film is a very mild brew of the gentlest of satire told through a series of wryly narrated vignettes. That said, the films best moments come in the exchanges between Buchanan and Carol, particularly their discussions of his first wife and their arguments on French history.

It's…
The ripped dvd I rented to watch this film, the last of the prestigious Preston Sturges' career, froze up with about 20 minutes to go. This review, then, can only be so objective, but damnit I sat through a majority of this film and I'm gonna see at least some of my thoughts recorded here for the effort!

Les Carnets du Major Thompson (or as the crass American title surmises, The French, They Are a Funny Race) is an attempt to adapt the satirical writings of author Pierre Daninos, through the titular British character making obtuse observations of the French citizens and their various eccentricities. Having grown up within the hustle and bustle of Parisian high society, Sturges was a rather…
Oof. This like an old stand-up routine (X people are like this but Y people are like THIS!) brought into movie form. A really rough, terminally boring finish to Sturges' career. This movie is buried for a reason.
I mean, it's not not funny. It's just a whole thing with all the voice over and doesn't have the zigs and zags that make all the good Sturges films so nuts.