Very Happy Alexander (1968) User Reviews (20)

laziness is happiness

[dbdumonteil · 8/10 · 9 September 2005]

Yves Robert passed away three years ago and any cine buff remembers him for his towering achievements that are: "la Guerre des Boutons" (1962), an adaptation of Louis Pergaud's famous novel still fresh today as it was forty three years ago, "my Father's Glory" and "my Mother's Castle" (1990), adaptations of Marcel Pagnol's childhood memories. And don't forget a good pack of quality comedies treated with respect and no vulgarity. This flick, "Alexandre le Bienheureux" (1967) largely deserves its place of winner among them.

In 1880, Paul Laforgue wrote and published an essay entitled: "le Droit à la Paresse" (the Right to Laziness) in which he offered a positive definition about this term generally considered as one of the biggest vices in the world. But Laforgue shelved the negative prejudices about it. He suggested to leave work fallow and to devote free time to rest and leisure which enabled a beneficial development for the individual. I suppose Yves Robert did the same for his movie. Without taking itself too seriously, it presents itself as a comical tale in which laziness is praised because thanks to it, happiness and the possibility to enjoy basic pleasures of life prevail. There's no need to worry about the constraints and stress imposed by work and modern society. And in the background, there's this country filmed with love and delicacy which Robert seems to know like the back of his hand.

Seen today, the movie displays a few technical flaws that weren't noticeable in 1967. Certain shots or camera movements are dated and it lets us think that the movie on a technical level hasn't worn well. But it has no importance for it kept an undeniable charm and can be watched with pleasure again. And a few funny moments in Robert's work evoke the devastating humor coming from Tex Avery's cartoons like the orchestra in front of Alexandre's house.

Philippe Noiret in the main role acts the role of Alexandre with an admirable easiness and naturalness. Because of its physical appearance and as he is inseparable from his dog Kaly, he is akin to Obélix with his tiny dog Idéfix. The rest of the cast follows him well and includes Pierre Richard and Jean Carmet.

At the level of the quality in Robert's filmography, "Alexandre le Bienheureux" is just a few notches below Robert's flicks I previously mentioned. It's the kind of movie to full savor after a hard day's work or after a Jean Luc Godard intellectual movie. Given that it is difficult to find in DVD, it deserves to be restored in favor and considering all the favors did by Kaly to his master, Robert's movie perfectly illustrates the famous maxim: "man's best friend is the dog".

Praise of the laziness.

[zutterjp48 · 8/10 · 24 March 2020]

I was studying at the university and one night in 1968 or 1969 I went with my fellows to the cinema just to forget our exams: "Alexandre le bienheureux2 was the title of the film.And we laughed very much !! It' a very nice tale about the work, the husband wife relationship and the right to laziness with a great sense of humour.The performances of Philippe Noiret, Françoise Brion and Marlène Jobert are really excellent.

A charming comedy film by Yves Robert with two great french actors.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 8/10 · 3 August 2013]

It was in 1968 that famous French actor/director Yves Robert shot "Alexandre Le Bienheureux"/Very Happy Alexander. It is said about Yves Robert that before entering the field of cinema, he had successfully tried his hand at various "Métiers" which have enabled him to faithfully depict working classes in his films. It is precisely his eye for detail which is very much visible in this film. A very happy Alexander is one of his lesser known comedy films which celebrates the virtues of laziness. It is true that laziness has been known since olden times as one of the seven deadly sins. However, Yves Robert makes us believe that even a certain joy can be had if one is able to lead a planned lazy life without bothering to worry about what is happening in the outside world. As a "meaningful" comedy film, 'Alexandre Le Bienheureux' raises a lot of pertinent questions about male/female relationships especially in the context of love and marriage. One of the most important questions raised by this film is whether a partner can leave a union if the relationship is purely based on money. Much of the film concerns a happy farmer Alexander whose life changes for good when his domineering rich wife dies in a car accident. The film also discusses how love can change a person's life. This aspect is depicted through a credible amorous relationship featuring two great actors of French cinema: Philippe Noiret and Marlène Jobert.

A long lost favorite that deserves a resurrection!

[BKeegan · 18 May 2004]

In an era that also gave us Peter Seller's Clouseau, Phillipe Noiret created another indelible comic character in Alexandre that deserves a certain degree of immortality. One can only hope that there is a vault somewhere that contains a decent print of the film and that the owners will see fit to preserve it. To describe "Alexandre le bienheureux" as charming is too soft a description -- it is social and political commentary wrapped in a delightful and hilarious package that has few equals. The ending was a revelation for a generation of young filmgoers who also believed there might be something more to life than laboring to gain subsistence. When it played in my hometown in the early 1970's -- in a limited run at the local art museum -- I dragged everyone I could find to it. Ah, to be able to do the same today!

A man and his dog

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 11 March 2013]

Alexandre, the owner of a large farm in France, does not enjoy a minute of rest for the long hours he puts tending his fields. He cannot stop because his wife, whom he calls La Grande, has a way of reminding him not to slacken on his duties. Naturally, Alexandre resents this nagging woman to the point that he can well do without her. Even when a neighbor offers him a terrier puppy, he must secure his wife's approval to let the dog come live in the well maintained farm.

Alas, relief comes in the way of a fatal accident where not only the wife dies, but also his parents. Left alone to his own devices, Alexandre's erases the chores his wife had assigned him to do on a blackboard, writing "Sleep, sleep, and SLEEP", which he proceeds to do for a solid three days. With the help of his intelligent dog, Alexandre prepares his bedroom as a place where he will survive happily arranging everything he needs and having the dog do the menial errands for the supplies he wants from the village store.

It does not take long before his neighbors begin getting worried of the transformation. Not only that, they resent the fact that while they are hard at work, Alexandre is enjoying his fishing and naps. Everything changes when a shapely young woman, Agathe, comes to work at the store. She is intrigued about Alexandre, being a lazy woman herself. It does not take too long before he falls in love with Agathe overhearing about the possibilities of being rich by marrying Alexandre so she can one day be the owner of his property, but she does not take into account that the widower knows what is best for him and his beloved dog.

A delightful comedy by Yves Robert who also wrote and collaborated with Pierre Levi-Corti in the adaptation for the screen. The idea of a henpecked man suddenly finding his happiness which ensues after the disappearance of his tyrant wife, lends itself to a joyous movie which even forty some odd years still has the ability to delight audiences. The idea of a lazy farmer is something Alexandre's friends and neighbors cannot compute in their minds. Let alone the envy they all feel about a man who suddenly is fulfilling his life by doing absolutely nothing.

Philippe Noiret runs away with his winning take of Alexandre. The actor enjoyed a long career in the French cinema and he proves why everything he did always turned out in natural performances. Mr. Noiret was a man who gave the best of him in films because of the charm he exuded. This Alexandre is one of his best creations. Francoise Brion, as La Grande, makes a case for the domineering woman whose sole job was to nag her man to the point that her untimely death is a relief. The wonderful Marlene Jobert makes an amazing Agathe. She was at the height of her popularity and proved to be an asset in anything she played. Others in the supporting cast were a young Pierre Richard, Jean Carmet and especially, Paul Le Person, as the combative Sanguin.

Shot in central France, the impressive cinematography by Rene Mathlin shines in the copy we saw recently. There is a tuneful score by Vladimir Cosma. Director Yves Robert gave the public many fine features, as proved by this delightful work.

Like a good wine

[Jabberwock · 9/10 · 3 June 1999]

This film follows the best tradition of the french comedy, managing outrageous, hilarious, unbelievable situations, yet without succumbing to cheap humour or to any kind of vulgarity.

Always pleasant to view, even after 32 years!

Where can I get a copy of this movie

[nmeltz · 10/10 · 29 March 2005]

I saw this movie 3 times over 30 years ago. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. I have been looking for it on tape or DVD for years. I discovered IMDb today and for the first time was able to find that the movie is at least entered in a database. Can anyone tell me how to get a VHS or DVD of this movie?

One of the things that made this movie so appealing for me is that I am a dog person. Alexander is a lazy man who lives on a farm with his dog, a cute mutt. He sends his dog into town carrying a basket in his mouth to bring home groceries. The dog walks from store to store as the store keepers fill it with groceries. The dog then brings the basket home to Alexander. Alexander never leaves his bed as he stores the food the dog has carried home around the bed. The villagers eventually descend upon Alexander to force him to become a productive citizen - a concept he doesn't value. One of the villagers is an eligible young lady who sees Alexander as a potential husband and, more importantly, a route to a comfortable life. The rest is about the struggle for Alexander and his dog trying to adjust to the woman. The ending is superb.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and boy am I glad I chose the one I did!

[cwpnewpaltz · 10/10 · 21 March 2000]

A fable, a parable, an examination of the human condition, and a must see for anyone thinking of getting married. Certainly one of the strongest declarations on record of just why we love our dogs. There is always something rumpled about Noiret, a bit of a sad sack who somehow manages to wrest dignity from abuse or meager circumstance. Alexandre isn't his best film, or probably anybody's best film, but who can ignore this simple man who takes to bed, not in anguish over his loss, but in quiet enjoyment of what he has found through loss to the distress of his neighbors? Alexandre is a delicious comment on the benefits of breaking with convention and taking one's own road.

It's now many years after I wrote the review above. I didn't remember having written it, but now that I read it, I know I did. My opinion hasn't changed. I'd gladly give $100 to have a good copy, but it seems to be unavailable. If you're reading this, I've got two more to add, if you can find them: Giuseppe Tornatore's "A Pure Formality" starring Gerard Depardieu and Roman Polanski, simply one of the most mesmerizing movies I've ever seen; and "Le Cadeau" ("The Gift"), of which I can find no trace, about a bank clerk or accountant with a shrewish wife who takes off for Venice with a gift some co-workers gave him--a singularly beautiful prostitute. He comes back a changed man with a restored relationship with his wife. A great movie. Why are these so hard to track down?

Charming, Charming, Charming

[nomoons11 · 9/10 · 23 November 2010]

Every once in a while a movie sneaks up on you and just really flat out surprises you. For me, this was one of those movies. The french sure have a way with wit and comedy. They were masters at it. This one is at the top of the pile for sure. I guess you can't go back again but if you could, I would request more french comedies just like this one.

My day got a whole lot better watching this. This one is classified as a comedy and rightly so, but ,there needs to be another category for movies like this...Charming. If your not smiling or happy or not feeling better after watching this, you need therapy. They don't make em like this anymore. Absolutely fantastic film.

I would love to see this one again!

[vmccc · 27 April 2006]

I have been searching for this film -- in any format -- for years. I saw it twice in two days in the late sixties at a small museum theater that showed mostly foreign and art films. And although it is, admittedly, a slight film and probably no one's idea of a great cinematic masterpiece, it has more charm than 99 out of 100 Hollywood comedies. It may be that the anarchic feeling of the film dovetailed so well with our own rebelliousness of that era. Maybe it was the dog. I imagine running it on a double bill with Marcel Pagnol's "The Baker's Wife" -- now THAT would be something!

I have scoured the websites and catalogs of lots of distributors looking for some evidence that "Alexandre" is out there somewhere, aspiring to a new life on DVD (or even VHS!), but to no avail. Let's hope this charming gem of a comedy is not lost forever -- THAT would be a tragedy!

haunting film

[rmichaud10 · 10/10 · 7 February 2007]

This is a strangely great film. It is a comedy with many moments of uncontrollable hilarity. But what is special about it is that it haunts you long after you have seen it. The images sit vividly in your mind. The themes are built with great cleverness yet extremely subtly and entertainingly. This is a film of intelligence. It is superficially about the eternal war between men and women. But that is just the familiar context and not the real subject. It is really about small town customs and mores and how being different is a problem. It also has an extremely clever cyclical theme. This film ran continuously in Boston for years. (You can look it up.) It is not to be missed if at all possible. Anyone know how I can get a copy?

No dubbing needed

[poflaatten · 10/10 · 18 June 2005]

The second time I saw this film was on TV in France, on a Sunday afternoon in the seventies. I had enjoyed it so much the first time that I had no hesitation in settling down to see it again. Halfway through the film I was getting puzzled by stuff I didn't remember -- and it wasn't until nearly the end that I realized that the first time I saw the film was on an airplane across the Atlantic, where I had omitted to rent headsets. So the soundtrack was all new! Needless to say, the actual sound of Noiret's horn and the dialogue (especially the kids) didn't make me enjoy it any less. But it is a sign of true comic genius that you can be that funny even with the sound turned off -- in a class with Tati and Chaplin.

I'd love to find a DVD of this film too. I don't believe it was ever released on NTSC videotape.

an alert to mankind

[irtosouza · 10/10 · 5 August 2007]

This is one of the best statements I ever heard on the fallacy of the work and matriarchy: funny, intelligent, amused, sagacious. It shows as the rude force it's nothing compares to the ambush of the woman. Only the intervention of something simple and very primitive ( a little dog ) can break the secular slavery the one that is submitted the masculine species. The obedience to the woman and the undercover values (Who works is noble, God helps the hard workers, the buzzer and the ant, etc.) they overwhelm the happy life of the "big man", until the destination, taking pity of it, decides to give an aid to it. The fear of a subversion of the public order seems to have been the causer of the no propaganda the respect of this masterpiece. The field of sunflowers, in the end, suggests the return to the paradise and the conquest, finally, of the happiness.

A delightful movie

[giorats · 10/10 · 23 July 2006]

One of the most delightful movies I have seen in my life. Alexander fulfills the dreams of us many, i.c. enjoying ourselves without the daily burden of work and trouble. Every time I feel a little moody, Alexander is my first choice of a movie that will make me smile again. The director knows the small details of the human spirit. The struggle of the men's village to bring Alexnader back in line, of else the worlds order will turn into chaos is the daily struggle many of us view daily between our will to be free spirits and the pressure of life. I hope someone will remember this movie and reproduce it in a new version, this time in English.

A Sixty's French Farce

[bfree-2 · 10/10 · 8 February 2003]

A parable of the "war between men & women & society." Alexandre (Philippe Noiret) is the hapless "Sad Sack" married in to a country-French farming family, headed by the beautiful daughter, Agathe (Marlene Jobert). Farming is hard business .. . made harder by Agathe's incessant "supervision" by walkie-talkie while Alexandre is farming in the fields. As hapless a driver as Alexandre is a farmer, Agathe constantly zips about in a bright red Citroen 2CV, ending in a fatality that removes both Agathe and her parents from the scene. Alexandre inherits the entire farm and proceeds to go on permanent vacation! The townspeople endeavor to bring Alexandre back into society, no doubt spurred on by his indolent example that's a threat to their society. There's the rub! This is a delightful, beautiful country farce reminiscent of a Mr. Hulot in Jacques Tati's Mononocle .. . how everyman adapts to the modern world, set in comedic proportions. No wonder the French take the glorious month of August off . .. I think I will too. Where's my dog? Enjoy!

One of the best movies made in France?

[LCNMedia · 10/10 · 7 March 2009]

Seeing back this old movie from my youth - which was in the sixties one of my father's favourites - is a still a delight.

Alexandre le bienheureux is based upon one 'lesson of life': enjoy every minute of your life, and don't let you force to do anything you don't want to do. Not everyone can accept this kind of 'freedom' - and also in the plot, Alexandre is causing to split his village in two parties: one fully fighting his principles, and the other party, fully accepting his new lifestyle, and imitating him in his escapades.

Of course, this is a typical French movie of a far away era - but it was able to retain its original, surprising spirit and quality - as well in the scenario and humor, the 'mise en scene', the excellent acting of Philippe Noiret, the sharp dialogs.

I admit, it has not the 'fast track' of the present movies, it's surely not the latest 007, but on the other hand, it still has a very gentle and warm way of picturing the French land-life, still to be encountered in some magical, rural corners of France.

Is this movie for sale in the U.S., either in VHS or DVD?

[husseyj · 14 November 2005]

I saw this movie in 1967 when it was released, and thought it was wonderful. I've managed to find and buy another French movie (with English subtitles from around the same period of time - sold in the U.S.) but after having found "Alexander" and searching the Internet for a U.S. seller, I have had no luck.

It appears, from what I can tell, that it's never been dubbed in English or has had a version made with English subtitles. I noticed that Amazon.com in France seems to be selling it on DVD (in French) but this would be extremely time consuming - with money conversion and transcontinental red tape, and it would probably be more costly than buying it in the U.S., etc. If someone has any information to the contrary, I would be very interested.

Praise of laziness instead of craziness

[searchanddestroy-1 · 9/10 · 24 May 2022]

In the pure mood of this late sixties period, counter culture, traditional valors reject, return to nature, forgetting the world's craziness. Definitely a comedy with many messages in it: take the life as it is, don't search complexity, take your own freedom as a priority. It's a refreshing film, but with a bizarre and unexpected ending. Ironic ending actually.

Fantastic movie!

[alinemarie · 9/10 · 9 January 2021]

So funny, but also a critique of the society, a metaphor of the need to change the life style, urging us to find joy and meaning in what we do; plus, the actor are amazing and they manage to build unforgettable characters.

"Feeling good the time of a movie and every time you remember it"

[graciaaaaa · 9/10 · 11 June 2021]

Ten hours of work a day and a good homemade meal or a breakfast in bed and three months of idleness? No. Let me try again.

To go to work or to stay in bed? Well like we tend to say in France these days, "la question est vite répondue".

For Alexandre, the main character of "Alexandre le Bienheureux", those questions are just irrelevant. Quite the contrary in fact. Working is altogether exploitation, whether in a small or large load. Thus, it is against his nature, as a man, as a human born in a world full of natural pleasures. As indicated by her name, the second main character, his wife La Grande ("The tall woman" who's tall in power over Alexandre) played by the famous Françoise Brion)) keeps Alexandre in slavery. He works for her in culture fields, always under a blazing sun, vigorously and tirelessly. While she is in charge of work and of the mental load...

However, eventually, La Grande blesses him with her death, which resuscitates him into living a life he's always desired : staying in his bed! He takes back his free will and uses it to accomplish his ultimate dream lifestyle, which is a bucolic resignation. So he indulges in deep passivity, eternal rest, and contemplation. He lets his whole attention be constantly seduced by comfort and by the odors, forms, and sounds (wonderfully composed by Vladimir Cosma) that the world gives him to see and feel. That herculean figure that Philippe Noiret lends to the character becomes almost canonized among his peers since Alexandre's abandonment of labor triggers waves of somnolence and impromptu retreats from work through the streets of his village and its liveliness (it even affects an energetic war veteran interpreted by PIERRE RICHARD <3). No absurd comic anymore. Like the greek King Alexander The Great, he leaves after him the traces of an excentric philosophy that grants him hiw own legacy with his epithet : "le Bienheureux".

So, goodbye to the weight social roles and financial responsibilities that the head of the household must bear on his shoulders til' exhaustion. Here comes instead a sweet escapade through the true essence of man's oblivion. Maybe the way Sartre would have defined it during the time of the movie. The director, Yves Robert, seems to have shown how happiness might be a decision that comes like a defeating storm in a lifetime; and I literally can't take this message personally... if I want to eat and live in comfort, surviving. However, those ninety minutes of fabulistic comedy were comforting, thank god the sensation lasts.