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The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob

The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob

Comedy · 1973

In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assasins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.

Movie details

The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob

“THE WILD... THE HILARIOUS... THE SCREWBALL... THE RIOTOUS”

1973 Comedy 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assasins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Gérard Oury

Written by

Gérard Oury · Danièle Thompson · Josy Eisenberg · Roberto De Leonardis

Louis de Funès

Louis de Funès

Victor Pivert

Suzy Delair

Suzy Delair

Germaine Pivert

Marcel Dalio

Marcel Dalio

Rabbi Jacob

Claude Giraud

Claude Giraud

Mohamed Larbi Slimane / Rabbi Zeiligman

Renzo Montagnani

Renzo Montagnani

Farès

Janet Brandt

Janet Brandt

Tzipé Schmoll

André Falcon

André Falcon

Minister

Court is in session

Put The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.