# Oscar (1967 film)
**Oscar** is a 1967 French comedy film directed by Édouard Molinaro, adapted from Claude Magnier's 1958 stage play of the same name and starring [Louis de Funès](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-de-funes) as the harried businessman Bertrand Barnier. It was produced by Alain Poiré for Gaumont and released in France on 11 October 1967.[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar) • [2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D11708.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Édouard Molinaro; screenplay by Jean Halain, Édouard Molinaro, and Louis de Funès, adapted from Claude Magnier's 1958 play[3](https://cineuropa.org/fr/film/401142/) |
| Release | France, 11 October 1967; earlier in the Netherlands (13 July 1967), later across Europe through 1969[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D11708.html) • [3](https://cineuropa.org/fr/film/401142/) |
| Runtime | 85 minutes per Gaumont and Cineuropa; listed as 1h 24min by AlloCiné and 1h 25min by IMDb[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar) • [3](https://cineuropa.org/fr/film/401142/) • [2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D11708.html) |
| Lead cast | Louis de Funès (Bertrand Barnier), Claude Rich (Christian Martin), Claude Gensac, Agathe Natanson, Roger Van Hool (Oscar)[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar) |
| Music | Original music by Jean Marion; the Louis de Funès database also credits Georges Delerue[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar) • [4](https://cinedefunes.fr/oscar/) |
| Audience ratings | IMDb 7.5/10 from about 8,600 votes; AlloCiné 3.8/5 from 10,744 ratings[5](https://www.imdb.com/fr/title/tt0062083/) • [2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D11708.html) |
| Later remake | Adapted again as the 1991 American film *Oscar*, set 60 years before that film's release[6](https://www.thetoptens.com/movies/differences-between-1967-1991-versions-oscar/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Bertrand Barnier, a rich real-estate developer, leads a quiet life until his trusted right-hand man Christian Martin arrives at his home early one morning. Martin blackmails his employer: he demands a doubled salary and the hand of Barnier's daughter Colette, with whom he says he is in love, and admits he has been stealing from the company for years.[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar) • [7](https://www.linternaute.fr/cinema/tous-les-films/2089175-oscar/)
The complications multiply from there. Martin's mistress turns out not to be Colette at all; she had merely pretended to be the rich developer's daughter, and Colette, not Martin's mistress, is pregnant by Oscar, the chauffeur.[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar) A German-language synopsis adds that Colette, pressed by her father, pretends to be pregnant to convince him, while Martin was tricked by the girl posing as Barnier's daughter.[8](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/11708.html) Cineuropa's fuller synopsis describes a perpetual chase between Barnier, who wants to keep his jewels and marry his daughter off to anyone to avoid disgrace, and Martin, who wants to marry the woman he loves; everything is resolved when the mistress is revealed to be Barnier's own natural daughter, Colette reunites with Oscar, and Barnier blesses a double marriage.[3](https://cineuropa.org/fr/film/401142/)
## From stage to screen
The film originated as a play in Paris.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/oscar-1967) Claude Magnier's comedy *Oscar* (1958) had been a stage success, and Louis de Funès played the role of Barnier several hundred times over four revivals, in 1959, 1961, 1971, and 1972, spanning the film's production period on both sides.[4](https://cinedefunes.fr/oscar/)
The adaptation credits Jean Halain with the dialogue and lists Halain, Molinaro, and de Funès jointly as screenwriters.[3](https://cineuropa.org/fr/film/401142/) The technical crew included cinematographer Raymond Lemoigne, editors Monique and Robert Isnardon, and production designer Georges Wakhévitch; costumes for Claude Rich were by Francesco Smalto.[4](https://cinedefunes.fr/oscar/) The film was shot in color with a 2.35 scope image ratio and mono sound.[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar)
## Cast
Louis de Funès heads the cast as Bertrand Barnier, with Claude Rich as Christian Martin, Claude Gensac as Barnier's wife Germaine, Agathe Natanson as Colette, and Roger Van Hool as Oscar, the chauffeur who gives the film its title. Supporting roles include Paul Préboist as the servant Charles, Mario David as the masseur Philippe Dubois, Dominique Page as the maid Bernadette, and Sylvia Saurel as Jacqueline Bouillotte.[1](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar) • [4](https://cinedefunes.fr/oscar/)
## Reception and legacy
The film has held its audience over the decades. On Rotten Tomatoes it carries no critic reviews on the Tomatometer but an 83% audience score from more than 1,000 ratings, with reviewers recalling it as entertaining and praising de Funès's performance.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oscar1967) IMDb records a 7.5/10 rating from about 8,600 users, and AlloCiné a 3.8/5 average from 10,744 viewer ratings.[5](https://www.imdb.com/fr/title/tt0062083/) • [2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D11708.html) A Dutch film-site review observed that the tireless energy and dynamics of a comic stage play work less well in the film medium.[11](https://cinemagazine.nl/oscar-1967-recensie/)
The story was adapted for the screen a second time as the 1991 American film *Oscar*, which kept the core plot but transposed the setting to 60 years before its own release; that version was a commercial disappointment for its star [Sylvester Stallone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sylvester-stallone).[6](https://www.thetoptens.com/movies/differences-between-1967-1991-versions-oscar/) • [8](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/11708.html) The 1967 film returned to French theaters in a re-release on 11 June 2009 and remains available on video-on-demand and Blu-ray.[2](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D11708.html) • [9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/oscar-1967)
## References
1. [Oscar, Gaumont](https://www.gaumont.com/en/movie/oscar)
2. [Oscar, Film 1967, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D11708.html)
3. [Oscar, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/fr/film/401142/)
4. [Oscar, Louis de Funès Datenbank / CinédeFunès](https://cinedefunes.fr/oscar/)
5. [Oscar (1967), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/fr/title/tt0062083/)
6. [Top Ten Differences Between the 1967 and 1991 Versions of "Oscar", TheTopTens](https://www.thetoptens.com/movies/differences-between-1967-1991-versions-oscar/)
7. [Oscar : bande annonce du film, séances, streaming, sortie, avis, L'Internaute](https://www.linternaute.fr/cinema/tous-les-films/2089175-oscar/)
8. [Oscar, Film 1967, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/11708.html)
9. [Oscar streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/oscar-1967)
10. [Oscar (1967), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oscar1967)
11. [Oscar (1967) recensie, Cinemagazine](https://cinemagazine.nl/oscar-1967-recensie/)
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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 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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