The umbrella killer

Movie
German title	The umbrella killer
Original title	Le coup du parapluie
Country of production	France
original language	French
Publishing year	1980
length	95 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Gérard Oury
script	Gérard Oury Danièle Thompson
production	Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont
music	Vladimir Cosma
camera	Henri Decaë
cut	Albert Jurgenson
occupation
Pierre Richard : Grégoire Lecomte Gert Fröbe : Otto Krampe Valérie Mairesse : Sylvette, aka Bunny Christine Murillo : Josyane Leblanc Gordon Mitchell : Moskovitz Gérard Jugnot : Fredo Maurice Risch : industrialist Dominique Lavanant : Mireille Didier Sauvegrain : Stanislas Lefort Mike Marshall : Doctor Roger Carel : Salvatore Bozzoni Vittorio Caprioli : Don Barberini

The Umbrella Murderer (alternative title: The thing with the umbrella ; original title: Le Coup du parapluie ) is a French feature film by the director Gérard Oury from 1980.

action

The actor Grégoire Lecomte is looking for a new job. He dreams of his success in the film industry that will never come true. One morning Grégoire receives the long-awaited opportunity. He's been invited to an interview with a producer for the role of an unscrupulous murderer. It is unthinkable for him that he won't get the role. But Grégoire is wrong in the door and ends up in the office of the Mafia boss Barbarini, who is actually expecting Moskowitz, a contract killer. Grégoire accepts the job offered - believing it is about a film. He is said to have murdered the billionaire arms dealer Krampe (also known as "whale") on behalf of African politicians at a party in St. Tropez. The title of the film is derived from the murder weapon. Grégoire is supposed to get rid of him with a converted umbrella with a deadly poison in the retractable tip. But he thinks the umbrella is a simple prop.

In addition, Grégoire is a womanizer who has several affairs and a jealous policewoman as a friend who lets her colleagues watch him. At the same time, the police are already on his heels because, through surveillance of Babarini, they believe he is the killer Moskowitz, whom they have not yet been able to catch.

His passion brings him together with the policewoman Sylvette, disguised as a blonde, with whom he flies to St. Tropez. But the killer and Gregoire's girlfriend also follow them there. When Krampe arrives, he tries to turn him off twice, which unfortunately does not succeed due to Grégoire's ineptitude. Ultimately, Krampe tries to buy him, but when he is showing off his trademark (the whale) in the pool, he is hit by the real killer Moskowitz with the captured umbrella. At the same time, Sylvette drops her mask and shoots the killer. When Grégoire realizes that it is not a film, he realizes that it is a good story for a film. In the end he can persuade Barbarini to put his money into a film and they celebrate its premiere in St. Tropez.

criticism

"Enjoyable mistaken comedy, sometimes staged with wit and speed, but not without idling, which is partly due to the thin-blooded story, partly to the overused talent of the main actor."

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

The film editor Albert Jurgenson was nominated for the French César film award in the category Best Editing in 1981, but had to admit defeat to Martine Barraqué ( The Last Metro ).

backgrounds

• The film was inspired by the umbrella attack.

Web links

• The Umbrella Coup in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• The umbrella killer in the online film database
• The umbrella killer in the German synchronous file
• The umbrella killer at zelluloid.de ( Memento from June 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The Umbrella Killer. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 30, 2017 .