When it comes to the subject of iconic French comedy, there are few individuals who are more celebrated than Louis de Funès, whose entire career has been defined by his ability to draw out laughter from the most absurd situations. Known for defining his country’s humour throughout the middle of the 20th century, his work nearly always took the form of neatly-compacted, rivetting comedies that showcased the actor’s full breadth of talents, whether it is his incredible physicality which made him one of the great clowns of his generation, or the fact that he could find the space to deliver an undeniably riveting performance, around which his films were based. One of his most substantial successes comes in the form of The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob, in which de Funès plays a bigoted businessman forced to accept his own biases when he finds himself in a hostage situation that puts him at the heart of both the Arab and Jewish cultures, which are populated by people he previously viewed as inferior and antithetical to his conservative Catholic background. Written and directed by Gérard Oury, and superbly acted by an ensemble cast that manages to shine individually while never distracting from the major star at the heart of the story, The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob is an absolute triumph, a conventional but hilarious comedy that may be quite potent in its message, but never allows itself to be weighed down by anything other than its ambition, which may not be clear at the outset, but which serves as the foundation for this tremendously entertaining and exceptionally well-constructed comedy that reminds us of the virtue of not taking anything all that seriously, which is a good rule of thumb for any film feature de Funès and his brand of humour.

It is undeniable that The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob is a slightly more divisive work – it has the same number of devotees as it does detractors, and while it would seem like a film aiming to divide its audiences may not be ideal, this film seems to not only acknowledge that a large portion of the audience may not appreciate its brand of humour, but actively embraces it. Humour is subjective, and what is hilarious for one viewer may be insufferable for another, which is why this has attained the title of a cult classic, rather than a widely-appreciated masterpiece. This film is derived from the need to infuse broad comedy with a slightly more social message, which seems to be the purpose of setting this film around two communities that have a widespread diaspora across the world but filtering it through the perspective of a bigoted character who soon learns his lesson and comes to accept his prejudices and overcome them (or at least do so in a way that allows the film to have a neat resolution). It’s not original in any sense, and the concept of the culture clash comedy has existed in cinema almost since its inception since it’s a reliable and solid approach that is always going to be successful to a certain degree. This does mean that The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob is slightly more overwrought in its approach, especially when it comes to those sequences in which the film starts to head towards the conclusion, meaning that the dozens of plot threads need to now come together in a way that is satisfying and meaningful – but despite some very conventional material, the film manages to do something quite interesting with what it is given, offering the viewer a much more invigorating experience.

On a purely performance-based level, it is difficult to argue with the reasoning behind this being amongst the best work de Funès ever did, since it contains all of the distinctive qualities that made him such a riveting actor – his petite frame and notable expressivity (which includes the ability to contort his face into any range of emotions, as well as some very unique sound effects that make watching him both a visual and aural spectacle). The best way to describe his style of performance is as elastic – not too many actors, even those who committed their entire life to the pursuit of laughter, can move in the way de Funès moved, both physically and in terms of shifting between different styles, which is essential to playing a character like Victor Privet, a man whose entire existence is based around the delusions of grandeur that have led him to genuinely believe in his superiority, which is quickly quashed when placed in a situation where he finds himself in danger. It may not be subtle acting, but when dealing with a film like The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob, elegance is not optimal and can be a hindrance, especially for someone whose brand as an actor is based around his ability to convincingly play a truly despicable individual that we can’t help but feel a genuine fondness towards, not because of his behaviour, but because de Funès does so much with the material, it’s impossible to not be captivated by his screen presence, which is undeniably some of the greatest in the history of French comedy, to which his contributions were nothing short of invaluable.

As much as we can try and reconfigure our thoughts around it being something much deeper than it seems on the surface based on the social message, what makes The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob such a resounding success is quite simple – it is just an exceptionally funny, insightful and meaningful film, constructed by a group of artists who know how to draw out the laughter from any situation. It is very often impossible to gauge how humour will develop – some comedies tend to stand the test of time, ageing incredibly well, while others become dated almost instantly – and it is difficult to determine which ones are going to be fortunate enough to be passed down to future generations, who will find joy in these jokes, while others will just fade into obscurity. Even within de Funès’ career, there was a level of unpredictability around which ones have managed to remain classics, while others have become footnotes in his prolific career. Oury was a director who started his career directing more serious films, but soon found a home with slightly more comedic fare, being at the helm for many tremendous comedies – and what makes his work so enticing is precisely the fact that his roots are in drama, meaning that even when making the most outrageous comedy, he makes sure there is depth to every scene, allowing every moment to feel essential in how it contributes to the wider narrative. Oury and de Funès are taking on quite a challenge with this film, blending so many different ideas and countless characters into a single 90-minute narrative, so even if the jokes themselves may be only mildly amusing for the most part, there is still an odd amount of value in seeing how they manage to pull it all together, which explains why it is amongst the esteemed star’s greatest works.

The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob is probably the most well-known film de Funès ever made in terms of retrospective appreciation and is logically considered one of his great successes. It may not be the funniest in terms of the volume of jokes in comparison with the storyline, but it does serve to be a decent gateway into the rest of his career, which contains several gems. Whether a starring vehicle or a scene-stealing supporting role, de Funès was the consummate professional, someone who seemingly refused to appear on the screen if he wasn’t somehow making the audience feel some kind of emotion, which becomes the undercurrent of this wonderful but endearing comedy. It may be an acquired taste, and will likely appeal more to those who appreciate off-the-wall slapstick comedy that intermingles with a slightly more absurdist sense of satire, but it’s difficult to ignore the appeal The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob has on French comedy, clearing a path for a lineage of films that possess a very broad sense of humour, but also the self-awareness to do something valuable with it, rather than being restricted to just wall-to-wall comedy, which can become exhausting after a while. Some of the jokes may be off-colour and have aged quite poorly (although it’s not nearly as awful as some other recent attempts to use culture and race relations as the foundation for a wacky comedy – the recent Serial (Bad) Weddings seems intent on inheriting this film’s title of an insightful comedy about a bigot learning t accept those from outside his ethnic group, but in a way that is far more morally questionable), but The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob is solid enough morally to overcome these issues, becoming a wonderfully irreverent and wonderfully exuberant comedy that finds the balance between serious issues, and never taking itself too seriously.