Delusions of Grandeur

Delusions of Grandeur (French: La Folie des grandeurs) is a 1971 French comedy film directed by Gérard Oury. It is a very liberal comedic adaptation of the play Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo. Set in 17th century Spain, film recounts the misadventures of the ignoble Don Salluste, greedy and hypocritical Minister of Finance of the King of Spain, deposed and chased from court by the Queen. Drunk with revenge, and ready to do anything to regain his functions and his wealth, he manipulates his former valet Blaze, overcome with love for the sovereign, in order to compromise the latter. The idea of adapting Victor Hugo's romantic drama into a comedy film came to Gérard Oury in 1960, when he performed the play at the Comédie-Française. The great success of his films Le Corniaud in 1965 and La Grande Vadrouille in 1966 allowed his idea to see the light of day. Bourvil and Louis de Funès, headliners of the two films, were cast in the roles of Blaze and Don Salluste. After Bourvil's death from cancer in September 1970, and at the suggestion of Simone Signoret, Oury distributed the role of Blaze to Yves Montand.