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In France, but also in the neighboring countries like Belgium (where yours truly lives), "La Grande Vadrouille" is more than just a cinematic classic… It's a cultural monument and even national heritage! I certainly don't intend to sound pretentious, but I doubt if such a movie could ever exist in the United States. Why? Because this film is patriotic and satirical at the same time, the script is chock-full of clichés and stereotypes whilst the humor doesn't necessarily rely on clichés and stereotypes, and although the subject matter deals with the depressing events of World War II – forever one of the darkest pages in the world's history – the tone of the film remains courteous and innocent at all times. The Nazis in this film are naturally the bad guys but for once they aren't depicted as inhuman monsters, which is probably the main reason why "La Grande Vadrouille" is also enormously successful in Germany! And last but not least, the script respects the language differences per country! The French simply speak French - or English with extremely heavy accents – while the English speak English and the Germans speak German! I don't see that happening in Hollywood, to be honest.

The film received the funny but rather hokey sounding English title "Don't Look Now, We're being shot at", but actually "La Grande Vadrouille" simply means something like "The Big Stroll" or "The Giant Walk". As you can derive from the above paragraph, the film takes place in during the WWII Nazi occupation of France. The story already starts out hilariously, when the pilot of a British bomber plane asks his fellow passengers what their location is. They claim the plain is more or less above Calais, but when the clouds clear up they are surprised to see the Eiffel Tower directly beneath them. The plane is shot down by German ground troops and each of the three British soldiers wanders off towards a different part of Paris with their parachutes. The British pilots receive help from two typical yet entirely opposite French citizens, namely the simple but hard- working painter Augustin Bouvet and the snobbish orchestra leader Stanislas Lefort. Both men, along with the help of various other French citizens, take several risks in order to reunite the British team, which of course makes them enemies of the Third Reich as well. The whole group has to flee towards the South of France, but naturally the journey is full of obstacles and dangers. Many, and I do mean MANY, sequences in "La Grande Vadrouille" have become immortal cinematic highlights over the years and it's almost impossible to list them. The mix-up with the room numbers in the hotel, for example, is very famous and still as incredibly funny by today's standards as it must have been back in 1966. Other unforgettable highlights include the rendezvous in the Turkish bath house and the pumpkin counterattack. In fact, every single interaction between the legendary French actors/comedians Bourvil and Louis de Funès qualifies as classic comedy cinema. Both geniuses where at the absolute heights of their careers at this point, but Bourvil sadly passed away far too young a couple of years later, at age 53. Louis de Funès continued to make several more French comedy classics until his death in the early 1980s, including the sequels in the successful "Les Gendarmes de Saint-Tropez" franchise, "Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob" and "La Soupe aux Choux". De Funès truly was, without any exaggeration, one of the funniest people who ever lived. His looks and his energetic facial expressions were his main trademarks. He wasn't very tall and his almost naturally cantankerous apparition, in combination with his distinct voice and habit of talking really fast, made him the ideal hothead-character. "La Grande Vadrouille" is a brilliant film, with a brilliant cast and a brilliant director, as well as brilliant music (courtesy of Georges Auric) and brilliant cinematography by Claude Renoir. It's warmly recommended to all admirers of genuinely funny comedies and fundamental viewing for everyone living in Europe.

This movie certainly belongs to one of the best comedies French cinema has ever produced.It has that rare quality of entertaining the viewer over and over again although it has been around for years. It is also probably Louis de Funès' most witty performance ever, mainly due to the fact that he reduced his frequently exaggerated ( and often irritating) facial expressions and babbling away to an acceptable level.Bourvil was always and remains, even today, an icon of the French cinema.As a team, de Funès and Bourvil form an "odd couple" that really works and their constant bickering is often hilarious. A lot of fun is made of the Germans and British but this is always done with a tongue-in-cheek approach and the whole movie bristles with a "joie de vivre" that leaves the viewer with a feeling of intense delight.

The undeniability of "The Great Stroll" as the greatest French comedy has somewhat been shaken by the passing of half a century and a few trivia facts. The film held the record of the highest-grossing French movie for forty-two years before being dethroned by "Welcome to the Chti's" and "Intouchables". And since humor is a very fluctuating element of human perception, I suspect a larger portion of French population wouldn't call "The Great Stroll" the greatest French comedy of all time. But they couldn't be more wrong.

Indeed, "The Great Stroll" is to French Cinema what "Some Like it Hot" is to Hollywood, kids might laugh at Seth Rogen or Jonah Hill, their parents might miss the National Lampoon or Jim Carrey's movies, and their grandparents some Lewis and Martin or Abbott and Costello films, but Billy Wilder's classic is the one to reconcile all generations. That's "The Great Stroll" effect, there's something just timeless about this film, maybe because it is set in world war II, a page of History that still fascinates the younger generation, or because it reunites two immortal comedic icons, directed by a man who had a flair for good comedy, or just because it is one of these instances where you got the right cast with the right story and the right timing: it just can't fail even if it tried to.

And it sure didn't, 17 million viewers is still an honorable score by today's standards especially at a time where French population was one-fourth smaller and when there was no Internet, not even TV publicity to create the buzz. But "The Great Stroll" was beyond these needs, it was reliant on the popularity of two great comedians and only their talent ensured a positive word-of-mouth… that and the success of their previous pairing in "The Sucker". No one knew how it was going to work, their acting styles were as opposite as their body frames but they completed each other as if they've been a duo for years. "The Sucker" met with success although Bourvil and De Funès were seldom on the same scene, but the test was conclusive and proved Oury that time had come for these two 'messieurs' to share the screen a little longer than that.

"The Great Stroll" didn't miss that opportunity and as soon as the two men are put together, it's the beginning of a great buddy-movie through France in the midst of the German Occupation. But Oury isn't in a rush, it takes almost half an hour before the two leads meet because the priority is to tell a story, gags will flood naturally. So we have three English paratroopers escaping from German anti-aircraft defense to find themselves flying over Paris, the commander, spotting a generous mustache orders everyone to leave the plane and meet in the Turkish bath, their code is "Tea for Two". The man lands on the famous Vincennes' Zoo, the two others cross the paths of municipal painter Augustin Bouvet (Bourvil) and hot-tempered opera conductor Stanislas Lefort (Louis de Funès).

Despite their initial reluctance, they help the British aviators and go to the rendezvous in the' hammam, which leads to the first classic scene when both men whistle "Tea for Two" making eyes with the one big mustached man wondering what on earth is going on. Finally, the historical encounter happens through a hilarious exchange of involuntary homoerotic subtext. Bourvil and De Funès stare at each other, with a weird glee on their eyes, and say : "are you?" "you are". At that moment, the story takes off, driven by the eternal contrast between the blue-collar simpleton and the pedant educated man. De Funès is so odious and bossy that poor Bourvil can't help but obey such orders as giving his shoe, his bike and his shoulders, his awkward walking with tight shoes and his pathetic protests became the most defining traits of his 'lovable loser' character.

"The Great Stroll" doesn't overstuff the film with gags but narrates a genuinely touching adventure of two Frenchmen who overcome their weaknesses and act with bravura and humanity. And what a lesson for today's advocates of political correctness that people who lived during the war, much more Oury, a Jewish director, had no problem ridiculing the Nazis and even showing them playing musical chairs in one of the film's most defining sequences. Indeed, this is a comedy that is not trying to make a political statement whatsoever; it has no other intent than making you laugh. But as a way to acknowledge the gravity of the context, there are two dramatic moments where each of the two men save one's life from a German patrol and gets a "thank you". Drama isn't gratuitous as it allows the bond between the two men to grow into friendship.

And on their own, each one gives his personal little touch, Bourvil is in love with the beautiful Marie Dubois and provides that bit of tenderness, while De Funès' struggle with his wig or the snoring of an overweight Nazi officer provides the slapstick. The film works on many levels, it has action, tenderness, screwball comedy and… instinct. Indeed, the most memorable sequences was ad-libbed. Instead of falling on Bourvil's shoulders and then on the ground, De Funès simply stays on the shoulders and lets Bourvil carry him. It is not just the most defining moment of the film, but of French cinema, the two giants, writing a page of French cinema's history.

And "The Great Stroll" is carried by the two performances as confidently as Bourvil carried De Funès' on his shoulders, without letting him fall. Oury would write the "Delusion of Grandeur" with the two men in mind, but Bourvil's passing in 1970 deprived French cinema from what could have been a great trilogy. We'd have to 'content' ourselves with "The Great Stroll" which is simply French comedy's finest hour.

Why is this movie so funny? And why is it universally judged to be so by people who don't understand French culture? I have asked myself this question while watching it for the Nth time and while asking myself why most Hollywood 'comedies' made today are not funny at all. I believe that the answer is that the basis of all comedy is to make fun of someone. Here, fun is made of sexual stereotypes, of the British, of the French and, most of all, of the Germans, Nazis in this case. Hollywood has become so politically-correct that it now only dares make fun of a WASP male in a business suit, and of no one else. Take the case of 'The Birdcage', a remake of the French comedy 'La cage aux folles' made some 20 years earlier. Being bilingual, I can testify that the original version is immensely more funny than the Hollywood remake. That is because the Hollywood bean-counters, who like to pass themselves off as artistic decision-makers, toned down most of the fun that had been made of homosexuals in the original movie. Ask Shakespeare or Moliere: the play or movie will be funny only if it pokes cruel fun at someone, provided it is not at you. Sorry for the politically-incorrect opinion.

I have been teaching French for more than 20 years and saw this comedy with my 18 year old nephew who is studying French and my sister who knows none. We laughed our silly heads off for two hours. It appeals to young and old, French-speaking and non-French speaking. It is simply hilarious.

Starring the famous Bourvil/Louis de Funes tandem it is a highly entertaining caper set in WWII German-occupied France, where these 2 unlikely heroes reluctantly must help some downed British airmen to escape.

A perennial favourite on French TV during the Christmas or Easter holidays it is one of those rare movies you can watch over and over again without getting tired of it. It runs more than two hours but moves along at an incredible pace. Movie relies bigtime on the clash of character between de Funes as the self-important musical director of the Opéra de Paris and Bourvil as the simple housepainter. But also the hilarious script, some spectacular setpieces (including a spielbergesque chase by German sidecars) and a surprising finale all add up to making `Vadrouille' one of the best and most entertaining French movies ever.

Made on a lavish budget by Gerard Oury who would go on to make some other highly succesfull comedies, mostly starring big French stars as de Funes and Bourvil, but also Jean-Paul Belmondo, Pierre Richard and Christian Clavier. Incidentally his next venture was to be the equally succesfull `The Brain', starring none other than David Niven (!) and Eli Wallach, backed up by Bourvil and Belmondo. Bourvil and de Funes should be reunited again by Oury in `La folie des Grandeurs' but then sadly Bourvil passed away. He was replaced by none other than Yves Montand.

Up to that time movies made in France took war rather seriously, but `La grande vadrouille' sparked of an endless string of farces set in WWII which almost invariably depicted the French as very clever and cunning, always outwitting the Germans in the end. Even the recent (2002) `Laissez-Passer' from much-acclaimed director Bertrand Tavernier is based on this premiss.

If you like this definitely try to see `Le Corniaud', the first de Funes/Bourvil caper by Oury or why not `Mais ou est donc passé la 7ieme compagnie ?' as a prime example of the smart French vs not-so-smart German theme.

I have seen this film (dubbed into Russian) back in USSR (before 1989). In soviet Union, dubbing of foreign films was an art form of the highest professional level. It is a great comedy in the ranks of "It's a mad, mad, mad world"(USA) and "Brilliantovaya ruka"(Diamond Arm) (USSR). Bourvil, Louis de Funes and Terry Thomas are the three pillars of European comedy cinema of the 1960's. Here, I finally found out the tile in English and French, because translating from Russian "The Great Promenade" only garnered me blank stares. It's a great example of how a free people love to make fun of their conquerors. Unfortunately war is not often as much fun as this film.

Released in Australia as DON'T LOOK NOW...WE'RE BEING SHOT AT this dubbed French WW2 farce was a runaway hit and most unexpectedly so during winter 1968. Usually French films just are subtitled here but, like Das Boot later, it is one of the few expertly dubbed...maybe there was an English version made given some of the cast. Anyway, it was plonked into one city theater as a filler when some other film fell over...and became a record breaking ticket seller for about 3 months. I can remember (it well) the audience screaming with laughter in the huge 1200 seat Lyceum Theatre...especially during one particular chase scene. The Lyceum was the showcase for most family films like THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and later WHATS UP DOC so maybe there was an inbuilt audience for Lyceum style shows that helped this film find box office gold immediately. However, after its initial run, it never surfaced again and has never been seen on TV video or DVD in Australia. Just one colossal release and oblivion!

The Chinese people saw this movie after the culture revolution, and this gave us the greatest laugh in a long time.

It's been replayed in theatres and TV in the last 20 years.

I know that many people on imdb are not french movie fans, but this one is absolutely the best comedy ever made.

Go find it, now!

During World War II, two French civilians and a downed British Bomber Crew set out from Paris to cross the demarcation line between Nazi-occupied Northern France and the South. From there they will be able to to escape to England. First, they must avoid German troops - and the consequences of their own blunders.

I have to give credit to France. I would think that 20 years after being occupied by Germany, it might not be something you would crack jokes about. Surely, many citizens would still have awful memories of the time. And yet, this film exists and was allegedly the highest-grossing film in France for a long, long time.

And, you know what? It is pretty darn funny. It's sort of a like a French version of Monty Python or something Peter Sellars would do. Which works quite well.

One of my favorite movies of all time. Being half french/American I guess I am lucky enough to get the best of both worlds culturally. And this one, just like other great movies of de Funes and Bourvil, makes you smile when the movie ends. I have both such a happy and great feeling after the movie and yet part of me is sad because France lost two of its greatest actors a few decades ago and we miss them both a lot. For those who really want to see how the French think (without the typical generalizations I hear from everyone) about the British (all in humor), the Germans (the french i think will always remember WWII in the back of their minds and part of the population still is not fond of Germans) or just life in general, it's a must see. Tea for two and two for tea. Me and you and you and me. Just love it. Vive la France!

Comedies age. All things age actually, films included, comedies included. Seeing 50 years later a film that you remember having laughed at until falling under the chair (this is a Romanian expression, I hope it's clear what it means) is risky. The experience was interesting and surely much different.

Filmed in 1966, a little more than 20 years after the end of WWII, Gérard Oury's La Grande Vadrouille represents a certain step in the evolution of the French (and not only French) films about the war that devastated Europe and the whole world. Taking distance and starting to allow ridicule replace at least in part hate and contempt for the German former enemies was not a completely new thing, I can remember Christian-Jaque's Babette Goes to War which preceded it with seven years. Yet, in this story about three British airmen parachuted in occupied Paris and saved by a band of French civilians including a famous music conductor (Louis de Funès), a humble paint-man (Bourvil) and a blue-eyed blonde puppeteer (Marie Dubois) the enemies are still all bad and stupid. It will take a time for the 'good German' to show up in war movies and even more time for the cinematographic acknowledgment of the collaboration with the occupiers. Meantime all French are good guys. Or good girls. Or good nuns.

The film enjoyed huge success, it was actually from its release until 2008 the most successful French film of all times. I remember having seen it in the late 60s in Romania, and I read about film fans from China for example enjoying it as a huge success after the end of the Cultural Revolution. To a large extent the success is due to the presence on screen of the two greatest comedy actors of the French cinema at that time - Louis de Funès and Bourvil. Both were huge stars and Gérard Oury had brought them together on screen in a previous film, and now wrote the scenario of La Grande Vadrouille especially for them. Most of the time they are together on screen and the comic qualities of the two enhance each other, the chemistry between them is obvious and so is the pleasure of acting. Years have passed and I did not fall under the chair any longer, laughs turned into smiles and nostalgia, and I can also see the naivety of the script and the schematic story line - but it's certainly mostly me. The two are again together in my mind, at least for the next 50 years.

I can't say I find the film particularly funny, but it interested me because perhaps it shows the difference between French and British humour. À chacun son goût - to each his own taste - of course, and to my taste the film had too much farce, too much slapstick, and too little subtlety of humour. It was like being hit with a humour-hammer rather than being amused intelligently.

I have to confess that I didn't laugh once, nor, as far as I'm aware, even manage to raise a smile. I can't imagine that a film of this type would have been the most popular in the UK for as long as it was in France. I was previously unaware of the work of Bourvil and de Funés (sorry, but their constant over-acting did nothing for me) but I certainly knew of Terry Thomas's films, and he was capable of far better than this.

I loved the Burgundy scenery, though, and I was happily transported back to holidays in the Côte d'Or and a visit the old hospital at Beaune.

This film has the remarkable property that there aren't any boring pieces in it. It just brings you more than 2 hours of top-comedy, together with a fine scenario. The magical trio Louis de Funès, Bourvil and Gérard Oury make this film so unique. If you like this one, be sure to have seen Le Corniaud.

I saw this great movie everytime I was ill and couldn't go to school, when I was a kid. I've seen it for at least 20 times, and it still make me laugh. I often have the soundtrack for the movie in my head. I love this film, and it is still one of my favourite films!!

Gérard Oury's La Grande Vadrouille (or Don't Look, We're Being Shot At for the quite stupid English title) is probably the best French comedy ever. It's timeless and a guarantee for some good laughs. La Grande Vadrouille is probably the movie that I rewatched the most. Every now and then I need to see it again, and it never fails or bores me, and even if I know it almost by heart it's still as funny as the first I watched it. I'm originally from Belgium, and everyone knows that movie there, it's a classic, the kind of where people reenact scenes and dialogues when talking about funny movies. Bourvil and Louis de Funès, are both legends in the French cinema. They're at the top when it comes to comedy, andd seeing them together in a movie is just a delight. The scenes where they do the musical chairs with a whole battalion of Germans will always get me in tears, I know the scene is coming and I already start laughing. I'm surprised, and not, this scene will always get me in tears from laughing, even after watching this movie at least a dozen times. La Grande Vadrouille is one of Louis de Funès best movies, if not the best certainly in the top three. Don't get afraid to watch it because it's from 1966, it aged very well and is funnier than most of the modern comedies now.

I've liked this movie since I was child,now nearly 30 years has passed, but I still like it very much! I've just bought a original french edition DVD of this movie. I always like french movies, they have some special characteristic that the Hollywood movies don't have! and commemorate the two leading role of this movie,Louis De Funes and Bourvil!The Chinese name means "escape from the tiger's mouth", once I talk about this movie with a french friend, at that time I didn't know the french name of this movie, so I just told him that the movie named "escape from the tiger's mouth", he felt curious and told me that he didn't know this movie!

In my opinion, nothing can top the De Funes' films "Jo" and "Oscar" as far as sheer comedic brilliance, but this one is a true delight. One of the funniest scenes in any movie is when Bourvil and De Funes arrive at a hotel where they are supposed to meet their friends who will help them get safe passage to the southern free zone in France. They enter a darkened hotel eating area and they see lighted candles in the distance. Someone switches on the light and they find themselves in the midst of about three dozen German soldiers celebrating their General's birthday. The hotel owner and a young woman pretend that Bourvil and De Funes are their husbands and give them a dressing down for being late for their chores. But the German General says that women should not wear the pants and he invites them to join his party. Bourvil and De Funes, exhausted from their day long trek through the French countryside must join in a chair dance, where all the German soldiers play horsie on their chairs in single file around the tables. De Funes looks like an old man about to keel over as he rides his chair among the Germans. It's wonderfully funny.

I'd watched this entertainingly farcical French wartime comedy for about half hour before I realised that the chap who looked like Terry-Thomas was, actually, Terry-Thomas! He, like everyone else here, is in his element as an RAF bomber crew find themselves shot down over Paris and dependent on a rather disparate selection of people to try and keep them from the hands of the Gestapo, and to help smuggle them out of the city and to some semblance of safety. It has all the hallmarks of a slightly less bawdy "Carry-On" film with some characterful performances from Bouvril ("Bouvet") and the increasingly amusing Louis de Funès as the suitably over-the-top orchestral maestro "Lefort". Neither gent is really equipped to guide our hapless trio of airmen out of their own bathrooms, much less from the grasp of the Nazis - but with the help of some silk parachutes, cunning disguises, nuns and horses - well who'd bet against them? Unlike many other films of this genre, this is actually funny. Sure, you can readily predict what is likely to happen, and some of the misunderstandings do have you wondering how was that even possible, but the ensemble cast including an on form Andréa Parisy and Benno Sterzenbach as the (no so) menacing "Maj. Achbach" give this just a soupçon of class that belies it's roots. Dated? Well yes, but still surprisingly enjoyable to watch.

I saw this movie first when I was 12. Revisiting it 25 years later, I could now reassess and reaffirm what I already knew: it's simply best in class! Nobody can do comedy like the French (sorry Hollywood, it's in their culture since Moliere, before America even existed), and this is one of the best French comedies ever. But it's not just the hilarious scenes (of which there are plenty; the short tea-for-two Turkish baths scene is a masterpiece), but every single element of it shines: the story, the timeless De Funes/Bourvil duo, the gorgeous scenery, the score, the universal appeal with not just French but also British actors and the sense of camaraderie that creates... But above all, the unbridled optimism that permeates every single shot, making the entire film such an uplifting experience! Feeling depressed, lonely, aggressive? Watch this movie! Show it to all kids as they grow up and the world will become a better place!

It's difficult to make a comedy about WWII (or any other wars as well) because if we can laugh, it must be not too loud. In that sense, the movie is among the best, because we indeed laugh a lot but the drama of the times is always in the background: My fellows were in the same time terrorized by the Germans occupying and courageous to help each other and ruin the Germans plans (for example, my grandmother hided a Jewish child in her Free-Zone village).

The casting had a tremendous idea to look for English to play the RAF pilots and German to play the Wechmacht. Thus, our French clowns are more in the spotlight. Fufu is his typical Fufu (the scornful, cowardly middle-class person) and Bourvil is typical Bourvil (the big hearted, simple idiot). Some gags are really funny (the night at the hotel being the climax). The locations are large, from Paris to the free zone, but there are also dragging moments (nearly all the action scenes) that make me rate the movie under their other team-up "Le Corniaud".

Doesn't it feel good to stick it to the Nazis? Unless you are one of course, but I'll assume you aren't if you are about to embark on this journey right here. I fondly remember Louis De Funes movies, but mostly had them as flagships or one man shows in mind. That cannot be said here in any way shape or form. And what is really nice here, is the international cast. You got Germans, English and French people all mixed together.

And that also is represented in the audio track, where many languages are spoken. Subtitles probably necessary, but do not bother me at all. And while the movie seems to be split into two parts, I would just say be rejoiced that you get sort of two movies for the price of one. Of course some may have issues with the pace and the length of the movie - or the silliness of many of its joke. Because while the Nazi threat is real, the movie does ridicule them a lot. Cut the movie some slack, will you? It will help you enjoy it more.

Some neat effects and some story twists with a lot of laughs ahead and on the road - no pun intended. One of his best movies I'd argue

Taking this film as it is there's lots of fun to be had. It makes for a smooth viewing, a wild ride full of bumps on the road and unexpected developments. Whether you're particularly a fan of either lead doesn't make a difference here as it's a very solidly crafted film, with excellent pace and good dialog. It avoids being completely ridiculous as many such films do in an attempt to produce base humor for the masses, and despite being obviously on the parody side of things maintains a balanced compromise between emphatic comedy and story telling. The jokes find fit into the scenes, rather than pushing so hard as to leaking out of the plot.

Of course it has to be mentioned the film takes advantage of the world war context to take a good crack at various clichés and make fun of the English, the Germans as well as the French themselves, and it's done pretty accurately with, again, a balanced effort.

It's perhaps a little long for its own good, surpassing the two hour format which surely can constitute a flaw in the sense that: this is a lighthearted comedy, not to be taken seriously at any one possible point, and the goal being straight up having fun one doesn't so much care about the characters really or what happens to them as the thin tone of the film doesn't allow for it. The result of this is the ending tends to be a little overworked and spread on too long a final act where we all understand the main characters will get out alright and it's just a matter of how the film chooses it, like the viewer can feel like he's had his fun and "get on with the happy ending already". Two hours plus is a bit too much...

7.5/10. A French comedy classic.

The setting: a British bomber is shot down (due to some navigational errors) above Paris. The crew get separated, and each of them needs the help of a few French people to escape from the occupied city, and eventually to England. Of course, evil Germans persecute them throughout the movie...

All of this is a backdrop to a wonderful comedy. It could be compared with Mel Brooks' "To be or not to be", and I believe it comes out the superior of the two. Easily the best Louis de Funes movie ever - and so, perhaps, also the best French comedy ever...