San Antonio

San Antonio (2004)

While a terrorist epidemy strikes the world leaders, the commissaire San-Antonio and his partner, the lieutenant Bérurier, have to escort the French ambassador in a British hotel. But after a negligence of Bérurier (one more little sex affair...), San-Antonio witnessed, helpless, to the ambassador's abduction, organized by a gorgeous Italian girl. Back to Paris, San-Antonio is dismissed by the police chief, Achille Hachille. A real godsend for Bérurier, who get promoted... But soon, the situation degenerates, when the president of the Republic mysteriously disappears. Immediate reaction from Police Minister : San-Antonio is the only one who can save the day. He has 48 hours and a secret squad to find the president. At the Elysée, San-Antonio finds Bérurier, the official investigator. But now, it's every man for himself : who will be the first to find the President ?

Date of release
2004-07-21
TMDB
3.7 / 10 (51)
Runtime
1h 35m
Genres
Action, Comedy
Director
Frédéric Auburtin

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: Rio de Janeiro

San-Antonio is a 2004 French action comedy film, directed by Frédéric Auburtin and starring Gérard Lanvin as the titular protagonist, police commissioner San-Antonio, and Gérard Depardieu as his sidekick, lieutenant Bérurier.

Production

Frédéric Dard's San-Antonio book series, which began publication in 1949, was a major best-seller in France for several decades. It was considered an integral part of French popular culture, noted for its raucously humorous tone and its inventive use of the French language, particularly slang. Following several film adaptations in the 1960s and 1980s, Dard was long reluctant to authorize a new screen version of his work.

Claude Berri agreed to produce Touil-Tartour's script, granting him a €23 million budget, the highest ever allocated in France to a film by a first-time director. Antoine de Caunes was initially set to portray the titular protagonist, but the role was eventually given to Gérard Depardieu while Jean-Pierre Castaldi was cast as his sidekick Bérurier. However, Depardieu, who was supposed to lose weight for the film, proved unable to do so.

Filming began on June 23, 2003. After ten days, Berri was unhappy with the dailies and demanded script rewrites. Filming was suspended for two weeks: Berri fired the cinematographer and the cameraman, and appointed Frédéric Auburtin as an "artistic advisor" to Touil-Tartour. Filming then resumed but Touil-Tartour, who felt dispossessed of his film, clashed with Auburtin.

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