Why so much hype?

Too much of everything

the audience applauded

One of my all time favorites.

As a student of irony it pleases me immensely to know that even as Jacques Prevert was inventing the concept of poetic realism with director Marcel Carne - Quai des Brumes was written back to back with Ernest le Rebelle - he was also writing Ernest le Rebelle which is about as far from realism, poetic or otherwise, as you can get. Fernandel was a great comic actor who made 150 films all told none of which had more than a nodding acquaintance with reality; this time around he is an accordionist (note: in England we distinguish between a concertina which does not have keys and an accordion which does, ergo in Englnd he would be playing a concertina) on a cruise ship and already in Dutch with at least one irate husband. In port he spends the night in a hotel and is 'rolled' for his trouble, waking to find both his passport and the liner long gone. You don't really need to know how he winds up in a banana republic with a group of what today we would call 'freedom fighters', all you do need to know is the formula: Jacques Prevert + Christian Jacques + Fernandel = Escapism.

Another far-fetched comedy by Christian-Jaque,not as good as "Raphael le Tatoué" or "Un de la Légion",it has funny moments although it is sometimes repetitive and confused.In South America (where else?) anything can happen: the consul might give you as a snack to the sharks,you can wind up as a working man (slave) in a banana plantation,or as a recruit in the governor's navy .And there's always a fire squad waiting for you so you 'd better start a revolution!It takes all Fernandel's talent to go through this eventful journey.Like this?try this: "Viva Maria" Louis Malle 1965