Tulipe, is an old man who lives alone in an old railway carriage in the Argentueil region of Paris. His main passions are gardening and oil painting, but he also has a secret source of income. His godson discovers that Tulipe is actually a master forger, producing perfect copies of 10 franc notes. His godson’s girlfriend sees this as an opportunity to get very rich – but she must persuade Tulipe to forge 500 franc notes. Assuming Tulipe’s agreement, his godson and his girlfriend buy an expensive new car and luxury villa in provincial France – but there is a cruel turn of fate in store for them when Tulipe strikes up a friendship with a millionaire playboy.
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After viewing the tantalising Brigitte Lahaie skin flick Education of the Baroness,I felt like jumping straight to my next French film viewing. Finding 1960's The Old Guard fascinating,I decided to go to the garden,and watch the third,and final rare Jean Gabin title I had.View on the film:Plucking tulips over multi-colour credits, director Jean-Paul Le Chanois & cinematographer Walter Wottitz introduce their flower to a peculiar atmosphere of Tulipe's relaxed time painting and catching up with locals having a brush of calm which paints over his underhanded,money-making ways (highlighted in a stylish opening,the goes on a tour of Tulipe's cash-changing ways.) Breaking Tulipe's laid-back ways with the arrival of Noël and Hilda, the screenplay by Alphonse Boudard/François Boyer and Jean-Paul Le Chanois stray from punchlines in their adaptation of René Jouglet's book for quirks, via the shaky team-up between the trio resulting in mad-dash attempts to keep their illegal money printing safe,and a poetic ending,which shows to each of them the true value of money. The life of the town, Jean Gabin gives a great, slippery performance as Tulipe,who is given an unassuming manner by Gabin, that stops people from ever asking what goes on in the garden of Argenteuil.
This film is absolutely adorable. Jean Gabin plays a retired race track gambler (Tulipe) who spends his time in his hobby garden. When he is approached by some relatives to "lauder" counterfeit Francs, he reluctantly develops a grandiose scheme to exchange the "blossoms" into real cash at the tracks. The End (which I won't spill here), is so hilarious as it is sad. Lilo Pulver's role is absolutely brilliant, as is Curd Jügens'. A film without violence for the whole family.