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The Gendarme and the Extra-Terrestres

The Gendarme and the Extra-Terrestres (Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres) is a 1979 French comedy directed by Jean Girault, the fifth film in the Gendarme series starring Louis de Funès as the gendarme Ludovic Cruchot. In it, the Saint-Tropez gendarmerie brigade encounters extraterrestrials who can take on human appearance, including doubles of the gendarmes themselves.1 • 2

Key factDetail
French release31 January 1979; censorship visa no. 49700 dated 7 February 1979, classification "Tous publics"1
Director and writerJean Girault; screenplay and dialogue by Jacques Vilfrid, from characters by Richard Balducci2
Place in seriesFifth of six Gendarme films; followed by Le Gendarme et les gendarmettes (1982)2 • 3
Running time92 minutes per the CNC visa record; other catalogs list 87 to 96 minutes1 • 4
Production and distributionSNC (Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie), producer Gérard Beytout; original distributor SNC2
MusicRaymond Lefebvre, who had scored Le Gendarme en balade (1970) among other films2 • 5
French admissions6.28 million, as listed in the CNC's 2015 report on French films6

Spoilers

Story

A flying saucer lands near Saint-Tropez. The gendarme Beaupied sees it, then Cruchot sees one as well, but at first no one believes them. The extraterrestrials belong to a reconnaissance battalion that has landed ahead of a planned invasion of Earth, and they have the power to take human form. Cruchot remains skeptical until an invader appears wearing the face of his deputy, Adjutant Gerber, whose metal body resists weapons. The saucer's arrival and the fear of the unknown draw the world press to the seaside town, and the comedy turns on the problem of telling the real gendarmes from the false ones.7 • 8 • 9

A running gag gives the invaders away: although they imitate humans closely, they love engine oil, drinking it like a delicacy.10

Cast and production

Louis de Funès played the gendarme Ludovic Cruchot, with Michel Galabru as Adjutant Gerber, Maurice Risch as Beaupied, Jean-Pierre Rambal as Taupin, Guy Grosso as Tricard, and Michel Modo as Berlicot. Maria Mauban played Josépha Cruchot, and the cast also included Jacques François as the colonel, France Rumilly as Sister Clotilde, Jean-Roger Caussimon as the bishop, and a young Lambert Wilson as one of the extraterrestrials.2 • 5

A casting change. Claude Gensac, who usually played Josépha in the series, could not take part because of a theater engagement lasting several months, and Maria Mauban took over the role.3

The saucers. The flying saucers built for the film were real constructed props made by the French aerospace company MATRA, built to exacting standards.3

Filming took place in 1978 in the Var department of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, with locations including Gassin.11 • 12 The cinematography was by Marcel Grignon and Didier Tarot, with sets by Sydney Bettex and editing by Michel Lewin.2

Place in the series

The Gendarme series began with Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez (1964) and had been running for about fifteen years when this installment added science fiction to its established formula of gags, situations, and ensemble comedy. The Cinémathèque française describes the film as the fifth installment of the adventures of Cruchot and his brigade, noting that Jean Lefèbvre does not appear in the credits this time.2 De Funès, promoting the film on television three days before its release, described his working relationship with Girault and with Galabru, whose complicity he compared to what Bourvil had given him.13

The film was the second-to-last that de Funès made in the series; the final entry was Les Gendarmes et les Gendarmettes (1982).3

Reception

The film drew a large audience, with the CNC's 2015 report listing 6.28 million admissions in France.6 Critical and audience assessments have been mixed: AlloCiné users rate it 2.3 out of 5 from more than 15,000 votes,3 while IMDb lists 6.3 out of 10.9 Télé 7 Jours' retrospective review called it the fifth of a six-film series and judged it not the most successful installment despite de Funès's presence.8

The film remains available on French video-on-demand platforms, including rental on Rakuten TV, Canal VOD, Apple TV Store, and others.14

References

  1. Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres, fiche œuvre, CNC Visas et Classification
  2. Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres (Jean Girault, 1978), La Cinémathèque française
  3. Le Gendarme et les extraterrestres, Film 1979, AlloCiné
  4. Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres, BDFCI
  5. Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres, L'Officiel des spectacles
  6. CNC Bilan 2015, Assemblée nationale
  7. Le Gendarme et les extraterrestres, Larousse, Dictionnaire mondial des films
  8. Le gendarme et les extraterrestres, Télé 7 Jours
  9. Le Gendarme et les Extra-terrestres en streaming, JustWatch
  10. Communiqué de presse, Les Univers fantastiques, Ville de Saint-Raphaël
  11. Notice de titre conventionnel, Bibliothèque nationale de France
  12. Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres, Film France CNC
  13. Louis de Funès présente son film, INA, Monsieur cinéma, 28 January 1979
  14. Le Gendarme et les extraterrestres en VOD, AlloCiné

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026

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