# Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez

*Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez* is a 1964 French-Italian comedy directed by Jean Girault and starring [Louis de Funès](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-de-funes) as Ludovic Cruchot, a gendarme transferred to the resort town of [Saint-Tropez](https://www.edgepedia.org/saint-tropez). Released in France on 9 September 1964, it became the biggest box-office hit of the French year and the first of a six-film series produced between 1964 and 1982.<sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D36757.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Jean Girault; idea and screenplay by Richard Balducci, adaptation by Jacques Vilfrid and Jean Girault<sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup> |
| Release | 9 September 1964 in France; CNC visa no. 29072 dated 8 September 1964, Tous publics<sup>[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D36757.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.cnc.fr/professionnels/visas-et-classification/29072)</sup> |
| Countries / production | France and Italy; Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (Paris) and Franca Film (Rome)<sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup> |
| Principal cast | Louis de Funès (Cruchot), Geneviève Grad (Nicole Cruchot), Michel Galabru (adjutant Gerber), Jean Lefebvre (Fougasse)<sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup> |
| Budget | 1.3 million francs, about one third of the cost of French comedies of the period<sup>[5](https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/saga-de-lete--le-gendarme-de-sainttropez_1512145)</sup> |
| Box office | The biggest French success of 1964; admissions are reported as more than 7.8 million<sup>[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D36757.html)</sup> and as 5,403,000<sup>[6](https://cinedefunes.fr/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)</sup> |
| Franchise | First of six Gendarme films shot between 1964 and 1982<sup>[3](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)</sup> |

## Spoilers

### Plot

Cruchot, promoted to maréchal des logis-chef (a senior French gendarme NCO rank, above adjutant), leaves his small village for a new post at the Saint-Tropez gendarmerie, where his intransigence unsettles his four laid-back subordinates, who had grown used to winter warmth and summer coolness.<sup>[7](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/film/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup> His principal missions are a campaign against nude bathers on the beach of Pampelonne, where nudism is prohibited, and the pursuit of the thieves of a stolen painting; the stolen [Rembrandt](https://www.edgepedia.org/rembrandt) in the plot comes from the Musée de l'Annonciade in Saint-Tropez.<sup>[8](https://www.programme-television.org/type/films/comedies/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez-27875)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.lemonde.fr/m-styles/article/2023/11/05/moteur-action-cinq-escapades-sur-les-lieux-de-tournage-de-comedies-francaises_6198311_4497319.html)</sup>

Meanwhile his teenage daughter Nicole, wanting to fit in with the wealthy summer youth, pretends to be the daughter of a rich yachtsman rather than admit her father is a gendarme, and invents stories about a yacht moored in the harbor.<sup>[7](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/film/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez)</sup> The final sequence shows Cruchot, now a general of the gendarmerie, parading through the port of Saint-Tropez behind a military band.<sup>[10](https://cinema-francais.fr/film/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez-1964)</sup>

## Origin and development

The idea came from Richard Balducci, press attaché on Jean Girault's films *Pouic-Pouic* and *Faites sauter la banque !*. While driving near Saint-Tropez, Balducci had his camera stolen from his convertible, and when he went to file a complaint at the local gendarmerie the gendarme told him, "But Sir, we don't file a complaint between 12:00 and 14:00." Struck by how far the local force was out of its depth, he told Girault, and the two began writing, with Louis de Funès adding details and comic situations of his own.<sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://www.musee-automobile.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Dossier-presse-exposition-Louis-de-Funes-EN.pdf)</sup>

The project met many reservations before it was made; the CNC's retrospective calls it a "little" comedy that almost nobody wanted.<sup>[5](https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/saga-de-lete--le-gendarme-de-sainttropez_1512145)</sup> The budget of 1.3 million francs was roughly a third of the cost of comparable comedies at the time.<sup>[5](https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/saga-de-lete--le-gendarme-de-sainttropez_1512145)</sup>

## Production and cast

The two published accounts of the start date differ: the town of Saint-Tropez's exhibition text says shooting began on 20 May 1964,<sup>[12](https://www.saint-tropez.fr/traduction-scenographie-english/)</sup> while the CNC's retrospective says the shoot began on 5 June 1964 in a Saint-Tropez not yet invaded by tourists.<sup>[5](https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/saga-de-lete--le-gendarme-de-sainttropez_1512145)</sup> Shooting took place almost entirely on location, including a building abandoned by the real local gendarmes, with a few scenes filmed at the nearby La Victorine studios in Nice.<sup>[5](https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/saga-de-lete--le-gendarme-de-sainttropez_1512145)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup>

The film's prologue runs for 6 minutes in black and white. On the advice of the cinematographer, who feared cloudy weather in Belvédère (Vallée de la Vésubie, Alpes-Maritimes), Girault shot the opening in black and white and let color break through during the credits and the arrival in Saint-Tropez. Color was still a novelty, and a luxury, at the time; when the film was later broadcast on French television, some channels inserted a card explaining that the film was in color.<sup>[12](https://www.saint-tropez.fr/traduction-scenographie-english/)</sup>

**The brigade.** Louis de Funès played Cruchot; his four subordinates were played by Michel Galabru (adjutant Gerber), Jean Lefebvre (Lucien Fougasse), Christian Marin (Albert Merlot), Guy Grosso (Gaston Tricard), and Michel Modo (Jules Berlicot).<sup>[13](https://www.telestar.fr/programme-tv/fiche/8413/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez)</sup> De Funès came up with the idea for the Gerber role to highlight the hierarchical relationship with his character and suggested Michel Galabru for it, a gendarme at once good-natured and bossy; the two actors worked together in the series for 18 years, in the exhibition text's comparison "like Laurel and Hardy".<sup>[12](https://www.saint-tropez.fr/traduction-scenographie-english/)</sup>

**Music.** Raymond Lefèvre composed the score, including the famous Marche des gendarmes. The song "Douliou-douliou Saint-Tropez", composed by Raymond Lefebvre and Paul Mauriat with lyrics by André Pascal, was sung by Geneviève Grad.<sup>[6](https://cinedefunes.fr/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup>

Released credits also name Marc Fossard as cinematographer, Sydney Bettex as production designer, Jean-Michel Gautier as editor, and Gil Delamare for stunts and special effects.<sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://cinedefunes.fr/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)</sup>

## Reception and legacy

The film was an immediate hit and topped the French box office for 1964. Reported admission figures differ by source: AlloCiné and a CNC statistical compilation give more than 7.8 million spectators,<sup>[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D36757.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://www.aoassocies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CNC%20-%20Bilan%202015.pdf)</sup> while the CinédeFunès database gives 5,403,000 entries.<sup>[6](https://cinedefunes.fr/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)</sup> A press-kit account states the film drew more than 8 million viewers worldwide as the biggest hit of 1964, and notes that de Funès received a Victoire du Cinéma for his performance, with his fame exploding after the release.<sup>[11](https://www.musee-automobile.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Dossier-presse-exposition-Louis-de-Funes-EN.pdf)</sup> AlloCiné's production notes credit the film, together with *Fantômas*, with making the fifty-year-old de Funès the leading French comic actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and describe him as France's biggest film star for some twenty years afterward.<sup>[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D36757.html)</sup>

**The series.** The film was the first of six: *Le Gendarme à New-York*, *[Le Gendarme en balade](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-gendarme-en-balade)*, *Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres*, and *Le Gendarme et les gendarmettes* followed, with Cruchot traveling between France and New York, marrying, meeting aliens, and training recruits.<sup>[3](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup> A contemporary academic account notes that throughout the 1960s the series consistently attracted a large audience thanks above all to its star.<sup>[15](https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/3061/1/WRAP_THESIS_Marie_2000.pdf)</sup> Balducci, credited as the originator of the saga, died on 10 December 2015 at the age of 86.<sup>[16](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez-a-perdu-son-createur-10-12-2015-5356295.php)</sup>

The film remains anchored in Saint-Tropez itself. The town's former gendarmerie became the Musée de la gendarmerie et du cinéma, opened in 2015, which holds memorabilia including Cruchot's mess tin and exhibits on the series alongside the town's broader film history.<sup>[9](https://www.lemonde.fr/m-styles/article/2023/11/05/moteur-action-cinq-escapades-sur-les-lieux-de-tournage-de-comedies-francaises_6198311_4497319.html)</sup> The town held a 60th-anniversary exhibition, "60 ans du Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, garde à vous !",<sup>[12](https://www.saint-tropez.fr/traduction-scenographie-english/)</sup> and the film is still regularly rebroadcast on television and widely available on home video and digital rental.<sup>[5](https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/saga-de-lete--le-gendarme-de-sainttropez_1512145)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/film/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez)</sup>

## Versions and runtime

Published runtimes differ and reflect different cuts. The CNC visa record lists 98 minutes and 2,661 meters of film,<sup>[4](https://www.cnc.fr/professionnels/visas-et-classification/29072)</sup> while La Cinémathèque française lists the film at 80 minutes in its DCP presentation,<sup>[1](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)</sup> AlloCiné and Larousse at 1 h 35,<sup>[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D36757.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[17](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/film/le_Gendarme_de_Saint-Tropez/4679)</sup> and streaming databases at 1 h 29 or 89 minutes.<sup>[7](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/film/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez)</sup> A 2002 TF1 vidéo DVD edition runs 1 h 36 and carries both black-and-white and color, consistent with the two-part prologue.<sup>[18](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark%3A/12148/cb38602943r)</sup>

## References

1. [Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez (Jean Girault, 1964), La Cinémathèque française](https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/48792.html)
2. [Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, Film 1964, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D36757.html)
3. [Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, Film France / CNC](https://www.filmfrance.net/films/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)
4. [Visas et Classification no. 29072, CNC](https://www.cnc.fr/professionnels/visas-et-classification/29072)
5. [« Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez », saga de l'été, CNC actualités](https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/saga-de-lete--le-gendarme-de-sainttropez_1512145)
6. [Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez, CinédeFunès](https://cinedefunes.fr/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez/)
7. [Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez en streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/fr/film/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez)
8. [Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez, Télé 7 Jours](https://www.programme-television.org/type/films/comedies/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez-27875)
9. [Moteur… action ! Cinq escapades sur les lieux de tournage de comédies françaises, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/m-styles/article/2023/11/05/moteur-action-cinq-escapades-sur-les-lieux-de-tournage-de-comedies-francaises_6198311_4497319.html)
10. [Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez (1964), Cinéma Français](https://cinema-francais.fr/film/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez-1964)
11. [Louis de Funès exhibition press kit (EN), Musée national de l'automobile](https://www.musee-automobile.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Dossier-presse-exposition-Louis-de-Funes-EN.pdf)
12. [Traduction scénographie, exposition « 60 ans du Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, garde à vous ! », Ville de Saint-Tropez](https://www.saint-tropez.fr/traduction-scenographie-english/)
13. [Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez, Télé Star](https://www.telestar.fr/programme-tv/fiche/8413/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez)
14. [Bilan CNC 2015, top films table](https://www.aoassocies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CNC%20-%20Bilan%202015.pdf)
15. [Marie, M. (2000), PhD thesis on the French crime film, University of Warwick](https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/3061/1/WRAP_THESIS_Marie_2000.pdf)
16. [« Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez » a perdu son créateur, Le Parisien (10 December 2015)](https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/le-gendarme-de-saint-tropez-a-perdu-son-createur-10-12-2015-5356295.php)
17. [le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, Larousse, Dictionnaire mondial des films](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/film/le_Gendarme_de_Saint-Tropez/4679)
18. [Notice bibliographique, BnF catalogue](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark%3A/12148/cb38602943r)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of the 1960s*

*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license