The French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo has died at the age of 88.
Belmondo is probably best known in the English-speaking world for starring in Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film,
À bout de souffle (
Breathless), which was one of the earliest and more influential examples of the French New Wave; but in France he was also known for his action films which included comedy-thrillers in which he did many of his own stunts in a way similar to Jackie Chan.
Tintinologists might know him for the 1964 film
L'Homme de Rio (That Man from Rio), which is said to have been inspired by Tintin, was a James Bond spoof, and contributed to inspiring the Indiana Jones series.
The plot of
Rio certainly inspired by
Broken Ear: a statuette is stolen from a museum in Paris and the pursuit of the thieves leads to South America and the search for a treasure; but it includes many elements of its own that saves it from claims of plagiarism.
There is an interesting review of the film by by James Travers
here.
There are plenty of stunts, action and comedy.
One scene I love is when Belmondo, who is getting frustrated by the never-ending chase, sarcastically mutters about driving to another city in a "pink car with green stars": next moment he IS driving a pink car with green stars - which has been stolen!
Moderator Note: It has to be said that, while the reviewer James Travers says - to him - the movie
feels like send up of Bond and "a precursor to" Indiana Jones, he doesn't say that it
is a Bond spoof or in any way an inspiration for the Indy films...
The Tintinologist Team