If the name of André Raimbourg means nothing to you, difficult, on the other hand, not to be nostalgic when one evokes the emblematic Bourvil. The French actor who marked several generations, still regularly brings together entire families who revel in his greatest successes.
A remarkable journey
Very quickly, André Raimbourg had the idea of putting aside his original name to call himself Bourvil, inspired by the name of the village in which he grew up: Bourville. A winning choice since the interpreter of “Fruit Salad” has, in just a few years, become an essential character in French culture. The documentary by Boris Donné and Bernard Faroux, broadcast on Friday September 23 on France 3, on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the Normand’s death and entitled The crossing of Bourviltraces the career of the actor.
Actor… or artist. Because, if these are his roles in The big mop, The Corniaud or The crossing of Paris which have particularly marked the spirits and which increase the audiences of television channels each winter, Bourvil had several strings to his bow. Radio, sketches, boulevard theatre, operetta, music… everything the native of Prétot-Vicquemare touched turned to gold.
This portrait, carried by the voice of the actress Valérie Lemercier, will be an opportunity to remember her most beautiful works, but also to discover past performances (almost) unnoticed until now through unpublished archive documents. His two sons Dominique and Philippe, who opted for different paths by specializing in justice and finance, will remember fondly their dad, who left far too soon and who remains, even today, one of the personalities who left its mark on the French scene the most.
Confined, with a few exceptions, to nice roles, sometimes naive or even downright stupid, Bourvil has succeeded, throughout his career, in making his audience laugh.
The documentary by Boris Donné and Bernard Faroux will be followed by the broadcast of the film La cuisine au beurre, the successful feature film which will mark the end of his collaboration with Fernandel, another great gentleman of French cinema.
