t_atzmueller Having grown up with his movies (them being brought regularly on German TV), I always had the impression that Louis de Funes and his films got better with age. The films progressed with plain, harmless slapstick to slapstick, that often had a serious core or issue. Perhaps one of the best examples is "The Mad Aventures of Rabbi Jacob". Sure, the jokes come fast and often fly rather low, but at heart it's also the story about bigotry, anti-Semitism and how a little laughter often goes a long way to overcome prejudices. We must also remember: despite being filmed in 1973, the last war still lingered in the minds of many Europeans and that, when Germany invaded France, most of the Parisians who welcomed Hitler did not raise their right arm in protest, but for an entirely different reason.That said, "Rabbi Jacob" has all the elements of your typical de Funes film: At the beginning we get the usual hyped-up de-Funes-persona, with all the trademarks. But the performance becomes a little more subtle when de Funes character reluctantly goes into hiding as 'Rabbi Jacob'. Those scenes are the true highlights of the film, including a short, catchy Klezmer-dance-routine. Despite some jokes being by today's standards far from 'politically-correct', the jokes never go at the expense of any of the subject (maybe with the exception of the stereotypical Arab goons, but here we shouldn't forget that upon the films release, the wife of an Arab embassy-worker had hijacked a plane in protest, because she found the film to be too "pro-Jewish"; the lady was dully gunned down by security, which reminds us that some stereotypes are unlikely to change any time soon).If you enjoyed this film and particularly that mix of French farce and Jewish humour, I would highly recommend you "Train de Vie" ("Train of Life"), which was filmed a few decades later.8/10

Claudio Carvalho In USA, Rabbi Jacob (Marcel Dalio) and Rabbi Zeiligman are traveling back to Paris after a long absence far from his hometown. Meanwhile the bigoted French Victor Pivert (Louis de Funès), who is the owner of a factory, is traveling by car with his Jewish driver Salomon (Henri Guybet) to France to the marriage of his daughter Antoinette Pivert (Miou-Miou). They have a car accident and Pivert fires Salomon and walks on the road looking for help. He stumbles with the Muslin rebel leader Mohamed Larbi Slimane (Claude Giraud) and unintentionally saves the Slimane from assassins that want to kill him. Slimane abducts him and they head to the Paris airport, chased by the killers and the police. They meet with Rabbis Jacob and Zeiligman that have just arrived in France in the toilet and they impersonate them to escape from the pursuers. When they meet the Jewish community that is welcoming Rabbi Jacob in the airport, they have to proceed in the farce getting in more confusion."Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob" is one of the funniest comedies of cinema history, with a complex screenplay entwining the lives of several characters without coincidences but hilarious situations. The story makes fun of polemic themes, like religion and prejudice, and with government economical interests, but is never disrespectful. Louis de Funès is fantastic with a top-notch performance, considered by fans of the French king of the comedy as his best ever. Unfortunately the studios do not make movies like this anymore. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil); "As Loucas Aventuras de Rabbi Jacob" ("The Crazy Adventures of Rabbi Jacob")

ezola This is an excellent movie. I have had few connections with French comedies, and the opening gags were unexpected. The acting, the plot, the dialog and the site gags were fantastic. You are not bothered by the English subtitles. The movie is never sluggish, and you will be pleasantly surprised. I have watched subtitled movies for 35 years and many French movies, and this is top tier. I have read various reviews and most of the negative comments concern the packaging and DVD itself, not the movie. However, when I viewed the film (and was not aware of the packaging or lack of extras)I was hardly bothered by what the DVD lacked. After reading the negative reviews, I was disturbed even less by the packaging. It's all about the movie, and it was wonderful. I rented it and now I shall own it.

LeRoyMarko One of the best movie featuring Louis DeFunès. He's such a good actor, funny to the extreme, and all natural! In this one, he plays Pivert, a French industrialist who's all surprise to learn that his assistant, Salomon, is Jewish! From there, the fun starts and keeps going right up to the final large scale "dénouement". I've seen this movie maybe a half-dozen times, but never got tired of it. Another great comedy by Gérard Oury.Out of 100, I gave it 81. That's good for *** out **** stars.Seen at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, at the Bloor Cinema, on April 24th, 2002.