L’Emmerdeur: the different François Pignon of cinema

It’s a familiar name to all French comedy aficionados. Fetish character of the filmmaker Francis Veber, who has a huge regret in his career, the lunar François Pignon has made the heyday of cinema for more than 40 years. It was in 1973 that he first appeared on screen in The Troublemakerbroadcast this Monday, January 2, 2023 from 8:55 p.m. on Arte and available on Arte.tv. In this adaptation of a boulevard play by Francis Veber (who does not, however, direct the film!), The contract, a cold and methodical hitman (Lino Ventura) must shoot a troublesome witness from his hotel window. But he sees his plans thwarted by a certain François Pignon (Jacques Brel for his last shoot before his death), staying in the room adjoining his. This depressive sales representative tries to commit suicide after being cheated on by his wife (Caroline Cellier)…

The Troublemakerthe debut of François Pignon in the cinema after the boards

With this classic of laughter, the director, who had returned to the bitter failure of the remake of the film, sets up the narrative device of his future comedies, based on the rivalry between two men, forced to team up despite their opposing temperaments. The author will then find his recurring hero, François Pignon, six times at the cinema in the guise of Pierre Richard (Freinds and The fugitives), Jacques Villeret (The dinner of fools), Daniel Auteuil (Closet), Gad Elmaleh (Lining) and finally Patrick Timsit (in the remake of The Troublemaker).

François Pignon, cult character of Francis Veber

If, in each film, François Pignon exercises a different profession – he is in turn a representative in shirts, an amateur robber, a blundering tax agent, an accountant in a condom factory or a valet – we find in him identical character traits. According to Francis Veber, praised by Vincent Moscato, he is a deeply kind being. A naive. A candid. It symbolizes Mr Everybody. This dreamer also triggers disasters and willingly trips over the carpet. Indeed, the brave François is immersed in spite of himself in misadventures that are beyond him. But this unlucky antihero is smarter than you think. And he always manages to get out of the worst situations. In 1972, Veber also created a variant of François Pignon, the so-called François Perrin, protagonist of the Tall blonde with a black shoeof Headbutt or even of The goat. Just as clumsy and endearing, this alter ego has enjoyed just as much success. Pignon nevertheless remains Veber’s lucky character. The filmmaker even confided to Studio Magazine in 2006 : “Pinion, in a way, it’s me! Like him, I’ve never had control in my life. I let myself be carried away by events.” A beautiful tribute from its creator, even if it means displeasing the real François Pignon…