The Unknown Policeman

The Mexican film El Gendarme Desconocido was shown in the U. S. with the translated title The Unknown Gendarme (1941). (Actually, in this context, the title should be The Undercover Policeman.) The movie was co-written and directed by Miguel M. Delgado.

Cantinflas stars as Agent 777, a ordinary guy who ends up on the police force. The plot is ridiculous, but you don't watch a Cantinflas movie for the plot. You watch it for Cantinflas.

Cantinflas is part Charlie Chaplin, part Lucille Ball, and part Chico Marx. Everything he touches ends up in mayhem. Slapstick is the key to his humor, and it really works. You just sit back and watch Cantinflax stumble from failure to success and back again. He's a brilliant comedian, and it's a pleasure to watch him being funny.

We saw this movie on the small screen, where it worked well. The film has a pretty good IMDb rating of 7.3. I thought it was better than that, and rated it 8.

This is certainly one of Cantinflas classics (arguable the best). It is also the first one with his favorite director MM Delgado, who was debuting as director in "complete" charge. I'm not sure who benefited more of this association. Delgado became one of the busiest directors in Mexico and Cantinflas never made a better movie than "Ahi esta el detalle" (also can be arguable the best) done previously and directed by Bustillo Oros. However, he equaled this many times with Delgado (at least until his color movies). Here in this film, it is notorious the liberty he gives Cantinflas to improvise. I believe that this produced most of his funniest scenes. Like in this one when he was reading his report to the chief of police, about a bomb that is just about to explode; and he excuses himself for having trouble to read what he wrote, because he doesn't know how to read and write. Anyway, it's a gem of a comedy and a must to be digitally restored.

In my entire life this is the third Cantinflas's movie, the first time on DVD, l must confess that expect more, the character most of time with pants on the middle of buttocks and almost droping it, tight clothes, bad dressing, speaking loud, bad body posture, anyway a real character who made a huge success in your country and latin America, as well, some interesting gags and scenes, acceptable work however with no hope for another DVDs still sealed if this work is his best!!! Let's see ahead...

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First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.5