Although it does not appear in the credits, Michel Audiard did sign the dialogues of the film “Le Marginal” with Jean-Paul Belmondo. But the director and dialogue writer ultimately did not want to be credited.
When Belmondo plays Inspector Harry
Released in 1983, The misfit is one of the many successes of John Paul Belmondo. Directed by Jacques Deray, the film garnered almost five million admissions in France. A good score for Bebel who is quite serious in this detective film. Indeed, if he often had roles mixing humor and action, here, the comedy is not very present, recalling the style of the films of Charles Bronson or the saga Inspector Harry with Clint Eastwood.
In The misfitBelmondo performs Commissioner Philippe Jordan. The latter has more than limited methods. But that’s what allows him to be incredibly efficient when it comes to prosecuting criminals. In Marseille, he will tackle the drug trafficker Sauveur Mecacci. Only this time, his stubbornness will turn against him. After a corpse is found in his home, Jordan is transferred to Paris. A punishment that will not prevent him from continuing his research to bring down Mecacci.
Audiard is not a fan of the Marginal
Just for once, Belmondo indulges in The misfit at holy waterfalls. We immediately think of this scene where, from a helicopter, he jumps on a boat in the open sea. Without forgetting the chase in homage to the Bullit by Steve McQueen or even this muscular sequence in which Belmondo literally turns a whole bistro upside down.
If the public was convinced by this proposal, this was not the case with Michael Audiard (The Tontons gunslingers), who indeed signed movie dialogues. Indeed, the famous director and dialogue writer wanted to be removed from credits. Jacques Deray and Jean Herman are well credited with the screenplay, but no trace of Audiard, as can be seen with the credits below carried by the composition of Ennio Morricone.
If Michel Audiard rejected this film, it is precise because of the too many waterfalls present in the film. An approach that did not convince him, as Guillaume Evin explains in Belmondo, the Knock, Knock, Badaboum book :
As during the filming of Par un beau matin d’été (1965) eighteen years earlier, the author believes that he was betrayed by Jacques Deray’s staging. And then, the film has far too many stunts and chases for his taste.
A fairly clear-cut opinion from Audiard, which will not prevent a final collaboration with Jacques Deray for You only die twice (1985), was released after the author’s death. Belmondo had the opportunity to recite other dialogues from Audiard with Morfalous (1984) by Henri Verneuil, released a few months later The misfit.
