The Umbrella Coup

The Umbrella Coup

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1980
Founder	Gérard Oury
Products	Comedy film

The Umbrella Coup () is a 1980 French comedic film directed by Gérard Oury, featuring performances by Pierre Richard, Gordon Mitchell, and Gert Fröbe.

Drawing inspiration from the infamous assassinations linked to the Bulgarian umbrella, the movie was originally named Le Coup du Parapluie Bulgare. Filming occurred both at Epinay Studios and various Parisian locations, with set designs crafted by art director Jean André.

Plot

Grégoire Lecomte, an actor facing financial difficulties, seeks a role as a hitman to resolve his debts. By chance, he stumbles into a mafia gathering where Don Barberini mistakes him for an actual assassin. The Don provides Grégoire with an advance of 50,000 francs to assassinate Otto Krampe, nicknamed "Whale," a weapons dealer based in Saint-Tropez. Unaware of the real danger, Grégoire assumes he is preparing for a movie role.

Salvatore Bozzoni, an associate of Don Barberini, equips Grégoire with an umbrella tipped with cyanide but secretly informs Krampe about the plot. Meanwhile, law enforcement agents including undercover operative Sylvette ("Bunny") keep surveillance on mafia operations as Grégoire travels to Saint-Tropez.

Upon recognizing the misunderstanding, Don Barberini hires Moskovitz, a professional assassin in disguise, to eliminate Grégoire. Simultaneously, Krampe sends bodyguards to kill him; however, their efforts end in failure.

At Krampe’s birthday celebration held at a hotel, violent clashes result in several fatalities: Moskovitz succeeds in killing Krampe but is subsequently killed by Sylvette, who discloses her identity as a criminal police officer.

Following these events, Grégoire adapts his experience into a film that debuts at Cannes, with Don Barberini acting as its producer. The narrative concludes humorously as Grégoire receives a parking fine despite his newfound success.

Cast

• Pierre Richard as Grégoire Lecomte
• Gordon Mitchell as Moskovitz
• Valérie Mairesse as Sylvette (Bunny)
• Christine Murillo as Josyane Leblanc
• Gert Fröbe as Otto Krampe (Whale)
• Gérard Jugnot as Frédo
• Vittorio Caprioli as Don Barberini
• Yaseen Khan as Radj Kahn
• Didier Sauvegrain as Stanislas Lefort (Crazy)
• Mike Marshall as the Doctor
• Roger Carel as Salvatore Bozzoni
• Dominique Lavanant as Mireille
• Maurice Risch as the Producer

See also

• Never a Dull Moment (1968)

External links

• The Umbrella Coup/Le Coup du parapluie at Cinemovies
• The Umbrella Coup overview at The New York Times