Highly Overrated But Still Good

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

When I first saw this movie in the 80's I loved it because it's a rare piece that illustrates the barbaric middle ages of Europe in a realistic manner. At first glance, it may seem crude to some with its nudity and humour, but this first impression dissipates with the consistent touch of silliness (Coluche style) that keeps you smiling. The ignorant, libertine and vulgar lifestyle of that period, intermixing with the influence of catholicism, are well delivered by Coluche and Serrault who make a wonderful team in this comedy. The mood of the movie is quite relaxed, it's as if the actors were having fun making the film. The dubbing might be annoying sometimes (franco-italian movies were common in the 80's) but it's only a minor issue that one can become used to. And finally, the music is quite amusing; the theme song is light and stays in memory for a long time :)

Why this movie got such a low rating at IMDB is beyond me. This is one of Dino Risi's most unusual and delightful films. This period of French history is barely covered on film and 'Good king Dagobert' is surprisingly realistic in showing the realities of early barbaric France. Movie's soundtrack is very good too - sort of a cross between John Barry and Michael Nyman.