Bourvil: Encyclopedia II - Bourvil - His roles

Bourvil - His roles

In his comic performances Bourvil principally played roles of gentle and well-meaning characters who were often a bit obtuse or naive, such as his roles opposite the energetic Louis de Funès. Bourvil's well-meaning characters not only managed to make us laugh but also to save themselves from the Machiavellian designs of adversaries played by de Funès.

Bourvil was, however, also capable of more dramatic roles such as the handyman in L'Arbre de Noël (1969). In this role he observes the relationship between a man he works for and the young son who has fallen ill. The audience can identify with the character played by Bourvil, just as they can in his comic roles, so often as a simple man. One can also note his role of Thénardier in the film adaptation of Misérables (1957)).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "His roles", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki