Watch Very Happy Alexander For Free

Thanks for the memories!

Sick Product of a Sick System

Good movie but grossly overrated

Blistering performances.

It was in 1968 that famous French actor/director Yves Robert shot "Alexandre Le Bienheureux"/Very Happy Alexander. It is said about Yves Robert that before entering the field of cinema, he had successfully tried his hand at various "Métiers" which have enabled him to faithfully depict working classes in his films. It is precisely his eye for detail which is very much visible in this film. A very happy Alexander is one of his lesser known comedy films which celebrates the virtues of laziness. It is true that laziness has been known since olden times as one of the seven deadly sins. However, Yves Robert makes us believe that even a certain joy can be had if one is able to lead a planned lazy life without bothering to worry about what is happening in the outside world. As a "meaningful" comedy film, 'Alexandre Le Bienheureux' raises a lot of pertinent questions about male/female relationships especially in the context of love and marriage. One of the most important questions raised by this film is whether a partner can leave a union if the relationship is purely based on money. Much of the film concerns a happy farmer Alexander whose life changes for good when his domineering rich wife dies in a car accident. The film also discusses how love can change a person's life. This aspect is depicted through a credible amorous relationship featuring two great actors of French cinema: Philippe Noiret and Marlène Jobert.

This is a strangely great film. It is a comedy with many moments of uncontrollable hilarity. But what is special about it is that it haunts you long after you have seen it. The images sit vividly in your mind. The themes are built with great cleverness yet extremely subtly and entertainingly. This is a film of intelligence. It is superficially about the eternal war between men and women. But that is just the familiar context and not the real subject. It is really about small town customs and mores and how being different is a problem. It also has an extremely clever cyclical theme. This film ran continuously in Boston for years. (You can look it up.) It is not to be missed if at all possible. Anyone know how I can get a copy?

One of the most delightful movies I have seen in my life. Alexander fulfills the dreams of us many, i.c. enjoying ourselves without the daily burden of work and trouble. Every time I feel a little moody, Alexander is my first choice of a movie that will make me smile again. The director knows the small details of the human spirit. The struggle of the men's village to bring Alexnader back in line, of else the worlds order will turn into chaos is the daily struggle many of us view daily between our will to be free spirits and the pressure of life. I hope someone will remember this movie and reproduce it in a new version, this time in English.

The second time I saw this film was on TV in France, on a Sunday afternoon in the seventies. I had enjoyed it so much the first time that I had no hesitation in settling down to see it again. Halfway through the film I was getting puzzled by stuff I didn't remember -- and it wasn't until nearly the end that I realized that the first time I saw the film was on an airplane across the Atlantic, where I had omitted to rent headsets. So the soundtrack was all new! Needless to say, the actual sound of Noiret's horn and the dialogue (especially the kids) didn't make me enjoy it any less. But it is a sign of true comic genius that you can be that funny even with the sound turned off -- in a class with Tati and Chaplin.I'd love to find a DVD of this film too. I don't believe it was ever released on NTSC videotape.