La Chèvre

La Chèvre (1981)

Timing: 1:34 (94 min)

7.126/10
692

8.046/10
144235

7.3/10
12000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 11

Actors and characters

Release date

1981-12-09

Country

France, Mexico

Production

Gaumont International, Conacite Uno, Fideline Films

Genre

Comedy, Crime, Adventure

Budget

$0

Revenue

$0

Website

Director

Francis Veber

Actors

Pierre Richard, Gérard Depardieu, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Corynne Charbit, Michel Robin, André Valardy, Maritza Olivares, Sergio Calderón, Jorge Luke, Robert Dalban
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Francis Veber

Producer

Operator

Álex Phillips Jr.

Composer

Vladimir Cosma

Artist

Audition

Editing

Albert Jurgenson
All team (12)

• A literal translation of the title is 'Goat,' fr. La Chèvre, which means 'bait,' 'live bait fishing.' There is also a French idiomatic expression, fr. 'rendre chèvre' – 'to irritate.'
• The names of the classic characters – Perrenin and Campana, roles played by Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu in a series of French comedies, were used by director Francis Veber for the characters of Jean Reno and Patrick Bruel in his comedy 'Jaguar.'
• Initially, the roles of Campana and Perrenin were to be played by Lino Ventura and Jacques Villeret, respectively, but Ventura refused to appear in a film with Villeret. Furthermore, the actor was unable to agree with the film's producer, Alain Poire, on the amount of his fee.
• In 1991, an American remake of the film "The Idols" (Pure Luck) was filmed, directed by Nadia Tass. Francis Veber, who was present on set as a consultant, first encountered "American-style political correctness." Veber wanted to cast a Latino actor in the role of the villain, as he found him the most talented, but this idea had to be abandoned. Nadia Tass explained that portraying a negative character as being of Mexican origin could anger the Latino community. This story inspired Veber to create the comedy "Le Caméléon" (2001) starring the same Depardieu.
• Mexican actor Sergio Calderón, who played the role of a prisoner in the film, also played the role of a bartender in the 1991 American remake.
• Francis Veber's second film as a director.
• Mexican actor Jorge Luke, playing the bandit Juan Larbal in the film, appears as the police chief in another French comedy filmed in Mexico – "Revenge of the Feathered Serpent" (1984).
• In one scene in the Mexican jungle, Richard's character is kidnapped by a gorilla (in reality, an American stuntman in a gorilla suit). Interestingly, these primates do not inhabit the American continent.
• Gérard Depardieu was stung by a scorpion during filming.
• This is the first film in the comedic trilogy of the Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu duo. The actors also starred together in "The Fugitives" (1983) and "The Toy" (1986).
• In 1981, the film became a leader in French box office, surpassing such hits as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Professional".
• Most of the Mexican actors in the film did not speak any French. They delivered their lines in Spanish, and during editing, their characters were dubbed by French actors.
• From the very beginning, Gérard Depardieu wanted to play the role of François Perrin, to which the director refused. In retaliation, the actor hindered the filming process: threw tantrums, went on a binge, and so on.
• Before this film, Pierre Richard had already played a character named François Perrin in the films "Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe" (1972), "The Return of the Tall Blond Man" (1974), and "The Toy" (1976) — his first joint project with Francis Veber.
• The scene with the wasp was very difficult for Pierre Richard. Despite the stinger being removed, no one on the set suspected that the wasp could still sting. The actor had to play the scene while enduring bites from the insect.
• A literal translation of the title is “Goat,” fr. La Chèvre, which means “Bait,” “Live Bait,” and there is also the French idiomatic expression fr. “rendre chèvre” – “to exasperate.”
• The names of the classic characters – Perenna and Campana, played by Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu in a whole series of French comedies, were used by director Francis Veber for the heroes of Jean Reno and Patrick Bruel in his comedy “Jaguar.”
• In 1991, an American remake of “The Fugitive” (Pure Luck) was filmed by Nadia Tass. Francis Veber, who was present on set as a consultant, first encountered “American-style political correctness.” Veber wanted to cast a Latino actor for the role of the villain, as he found him the most talented, but this idea had to be abandoned. Nadia Tass explained that portraying a negative character as being of Mexican origin could anger the Latino community. This story inspired Veber to create the comedy “Chameleon” (2001) with the same Depardieu.
• Mexican actor Jorge Luke, who plays the bandit Juan Lárbal in the film, appears as the police chief in another French comedy filmed in Mexico – “Revenge of the Feathered Serpent” (1984).
• This is the first film in the comedic trilogy of the Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu duo. The actors also starred together in “The Papa's” (1983) and “The Runaways” (1986).
• In 1981, the film became a leader in the French box office, surpassing such hits as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Professional."
• Before this film, Pierre Richard had already played a character named François Perrin in "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe" (1972), "Return of the Tall Blond Man" (1974), and "The Toy" (1976) – his first joint project with Francis Veber.