Everyone has already seen the film once in their life. The Big Mop with Louis de Funès and Bourvil. Released on December 8, 1966, this film directed by Gérard Oury was originally supposed to have a completely different ending, we tell you everything.
A very popular duo at the time, Louis de Funès and Bourvil meet once again in The Big Mop after having already appeared together in several films, such as Le Corniaud et The Crossing of Paris. This time, the feature film takes place during the Second World War and more precisely during the occupation. A period that director Gérard Oury experienced very closely, the latter having to flee to the south, to the free zone, in order to find work.
This project was therefore very close to his heart, but everything did not go as planned. Many changes had to be made from his initial idea, starting with the ending, which had to undergo a significant rewrite.
What was the intended ending for The Big Mop ?
Gérard Oury explained that the scenario of The Big Moporiginally, planned to send the two heroes, Augustin Bouvet and Stanislas Lefort, to Spain. However, when the director told the story of this film, step by step, to producer Robert Dorfmann, one passage greatly displeased him. There was a stage that was to take place in Albi to continue the route into the mountains. It was at that moment that Robert Dorfmann said to Gérard Oury: “ It’s great, but from Albi, we get bored“, as his daughter Danièle Thompson told France Inter.
-After this remark, Gérard Oury and his team, made up of Danièle Thompson and Marcel Julian, got back in the saddle to rework the end of The Big Mop to give more dynamism. This is how the famous glider scene was born in which Augustin Bouvet (Bourvil), Stanislas Lefort (De Funès) and Sir Reginald Brook aka Big Mustache (Terry-Thomas), take off with their plane.
De Funès and his art of improvisation
Danièle Thompson also mentions, still on the microphone of France Inter, that there was not a lot of improvisation, but that it was more about interpretation. However, Louis de Funès and Bourvil improvised one of the most legendary scenes of this film, that of crossing the wall.
Originally, they were just going to go over the wall and that’s it. However, Louis de Funès remained stuck on Bourvil’s shoulders and played with it to improvise one of the most memorable scenes of this film. However, improvisation was not Louis de Funès’ favorite thing, as he explained that his father was not happy when there was nothing written. However, this did not prevent The Great Mop to rank in the top 10 French comedies, quite the contrary!
