Although the movies have the same stories, it’s hard to compare them both. Can’t beat the original but the acting and comedic timing of the remake is simply entertaining to watch.
Oh I agree; both have a beautiful and unique charm. But the remake is still number 1 to me. Although I will say the mother disguise in the original was better and more believable
The French version is funnier to me. Albin and the housekeeper are so much more over the top and yet somehow more authentic. Robin Williams doesn't bring the masculine energy the way Tognazzi does. He never does really, that is not in his character. And the Laurent(Val) character in Birdcage is so unlikable.
@@LB-gz3ke Everything about the French version is funnier and done with greater finesse. I wish a full length version with English subtitles was on RUclips. Unfortunately, my French is not good enough to watch it without. This comparison is the first good quality video I have found where Alban tries to teach Zaza to butter his toast "comme John Wayne." Reviewing this after so many years is like a visit with an old friend. Back in 1979, viewing this in Berkeley, CA, the whole audience was enchanted.
My mother poo pooed most modern films. For years she was convinced Robin Williams couldn't even do a passable job of playing Georges / Armand. I saw The Birdcage first, La Cage Aux Folles second, but finally got her to watch The Birdcage. "He actually did a good job." To me, Robin Williams could have won an Oscar for the role and it wouldn't have meant as much as that compliment.
As a french, of course i prefer Michel Serrault! And this movie is in our cultur since 1978!!! 😂 Everybody in France konws Zaza! I think it is not the same in US!
I never realized how many similarities they had. I still prefer the original movie, because I love French farce, but the remake has its good points. Robin Williams was always amazing to watch.
I've only seen The Birdcage with Robin and Nathan, and it makes me roll on the floor with laughter. BUT, now that I've seen this side by side comparison, I'm laughing about as hard! I definitely need to see the original movie. (how could it NOT be funny, right?)
The original is comical, but in a more subtle manner. It has a more serious undertone to it. But still a brilliant movie, and definitely worth watching.
I agree. I understand why teenagers are played by actors in their twenties but Dan Futterman was obviously miscast for this role. He was only 29 but looked older and didn't seem the young and naïve 20 year old as he was supposed to, he seems barely younger than his parents.
Absurd they have a 20 year old son. Williams did a great job and treated the role with respect and nuance of a man trying to take care of family in a crazy world
I remember seeing this in THEATERS when it came out. It was a night out with coworkers after our first job, working at a theme park nearby. Had all of us ROLLING in the theater. The next year I was doing some production in theater class and something happened where I screamed super loud and my director ran over to me and says, "TELL ME YOU SEEN LA CAGE?" and I said, "The Cage?" "La Cage Aux Folles" and I said, "The Cage for Birds?...THE BIRDCAGE? Yes, I've seen the movie, but La Cage, no never seen the stage play" - After some discussion on my love of taking Theater and French classes and not ever seeing La Cage Aux Folles and being a complete disappointment if I ever hoped to impress anyone French because of it, he informed me that despite all that, if he was ever able to get permission to do a stage production, would I promise to come back WHATEVER AGE and do the production with him WHATEVER HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE he may be, specifically to be cast as the drag queen character just so I can SCREAM the same way because he LOVED it so much and said it reminded him of the film. So thats my story. BOTH are amazing films by the way, having finally seen both. The French have a way with film, culture, masculinity and femininity and present art is such a way that no other nation could compare. This film is an example.
Now... Watching this as a kids in the nineties, (which becomes a classic... Of course) you don't fully understand everything, until you watch this as an adult, to fully get it. And now to watch this, and never knew this film existed, suddenly your whole world and childhood is rocked.
Very very rarely if ever do the Americans make a film version that’s as good as the original !! THIS is the ONE ❤.. perfect film, cast, script .. it has everything ❤I adore both ❤
My opinion: The french version hands down. It was a biting mixture of drama/and comedy. The american version was just for the laughs (sometimes unsuccessfully tipping over to farce) Robin Williams performance in anything can never be faulted of course but Calista Flockhart and Dan Futterman totally miscast.
Yeah, I think the Birdcage is saved by great performances from Williams, Lane, Hackman, Azaria, and Wiest. They play their roles over the top, but still believable.
I've seen the '96 Birdcage many many times. I learned that it was based on an earlier film, but it was only recently I found and watched that earlier '78 La Cage. Interesting to realize how folks were struggling with these issues in 1978, and still in '96, and we still are in 2022. Many things have gotten better, thankfully, in many ways. But there are still homophobic politicians and others. Many LGBT+ folks are still pressured in one way or another to hide who they are and to not live as their authentic selves. We've come a long way, but still have a long way to go. Here's to a future where both of these films can be seen as historical relics of a bygone era and outmoded attitudes, rather than as still-relevant stories that echo the attitudes of today. Here's to that day.
I was the French version in the cinema when it was released in the US. Audience loved it and I enjoyed it. But, the chemistry of Robin and Nathan was just THERE ...and I loved the little background jokes throughout the film .
Interesting fact - in the French stage production, before the film, the true relationship between father and son was delayed far longer than in the movie. Both movies are good though I do have a preference for the French film...and even more for the original stage production.
When most English speakers there, think birdcage is the most brilliant movie 😂😂😂. Don’t be ridiculous and try French language « la cage aux folles 1 et 2 » sont les plus marrantes. Chaque acteurs sont parfaits dans leur rôles et c’est tellement drôle
5:50 "First of all, you're only 20." Dan Futterman was almost 30 when this was released, and didn't look anything like a 20 year old. They should have changed the line or cast a different actor.
That's one of the strange things with several American movies/series. They often take actors much older than the roles to play much younger people. In the French film Remi Laurent and Luisa Maneri were 19 and 16 at the time. For Albert/ Albin it is strange too. Although Nathan delivers a good performance, his role is that of this drag queen that's starting to age, is no longer in her prime and who has raised the child for 20 years. Nathan was about 30 back then, just about the same age as Dan. Michel Serrault fits that role perfectly and his interpretation is on point.
In between these two versions there was a Broadway musical version as well. I wish we had that one to compare also. Anyway, l love both of these so much.
I personally prefer the original version; however they are not as far apart as has been the case with other remakes. I think Ugo Tognazzi's detached class is incomparable, but if there was an American actor who could fill that role without disfiguring, it was the great Robin Williams. So I give it a 10 for the original and a 9 for the US version.
One thing the Birdcage did that improved the story was to have the son confess to ruse in the end instead of the parents - give him a moment of redemption that brings his family back together.
I was 18 yo when I went to the movie theater among some folks from high school. I wasn’t aware which movie nor name We’re going to watch. Then there were this first scene of men dancing a tango on a dance hall with those heavy make ups. I was about to leave the theater when suddenly the movie got me. No need to say I enjoyed a lot the movie , it was so funny and currently one of my favorites ever. The American remake with robin williams is funny but not that funny than the European guys.
I live in Nashville and had coffee in the building that was used in Robin William’s last movie, Boulevard. It was a bank and in the movie it was a bank. It felt very strange but made me happy at the same time. It is now a coffee ship called Sip.
The original is AN ORIGINAL and it shows.....Robin William is ROBIN WILLIAMS and it shows.... I like both... the French version as a master piece with great actors....the US version a great Robin Williams performance with a story line copied from elsewhere and it shows.
I have enjoyed both versions multiple times, but then again I understand both French and English, and am also very familiar with both French and American customs and habits. For me, a good half of the comedy in the French one is in expressions or mannerisms that aren't always translated well in the subtitles, or noticed well when one has to read subtitles. Like when "Zaza Napoli" forgets she's not feeling well and starts advising the doctor how to reheat what he's having for dinner--that he needs to use a copper frying pan--to which he ends it as a result of being interrupting by Renato by saying "sinon, alors, je réponds de rien...". That wasn't translated but it more or less means "if not, I'm not responsible". Like with any language, there's those subtle things that when timed with the scenario, are comical.
The best part of both films is when the conservative politician and wife meet the crossdressing man that normally dresses in drag and is flamboyant in his female impersonation. Its hilarious when the politician is impressed by the "traditional values" the drag queen presents. There's a real jab at gender roles in a humourous way.
In the Birdcage they overplay, in the cage aux folles (Cage of the foollish) they play. Hugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault are outstandings. French vesion is a comedy that goes beyond comedy.
I love both versions! They both shine in different ways! For me, it's impossible to decide. I saw The Birdcage when it first came out on VHS. I just saw the original on Pluto (along with the other two in the series) recently. I love that Lane and Williams showed respect to the original and did a fantastic job. The original was also orgeous and hysterically funny. What I really love about both films is the LOVE between the characters. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, we are often portrayed as promiscuous and hard-hearted. I really enjoy the ultimate loyalty and love that is shown between the two main characters. Both films are beautiful to me.❤
I love French films. They do wit and dry senses of humor very well. However, when it comes to sheer comedy, you just can’t beat Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.
Both of these but the 1996 remake version is more better because Genie and Timon are both starring in the 1996 film. And Robin Williams does an Ad-lib all the time. He is a legendary comedic genius even without a script from the directors.
I do like the remake more for it's performances, direction, Elaine May's comedy, and chemistry but I just saw the original for the first time and it is still a brilliant film. Both versions are great and I can see why someone can prefer one over the other.
You can't beat the original! Michel Serrault's performance can never be equaled, he is the true Zaza Napoli! The remake over does it, Hollywood cheapens it, like they always do!
![THE BIRDCAGE - Contact Hypothesis [Video Essay]](/img/1.gif)
Hank Azaria steals every scene he’s in. “I never wear shoes because they make me fall down” is among my favorite line deliveries in all of cinema.
Although the movies have the same stories, it’s hard to compare them both. Can’t beat the original but the acting and comedic timing of the remake is simply entertaining to watch.
Comparison is the thief of joy. I am happy to enjoy both. Aren't we lucky we can watch either movie at any time? What a marvelous world!
The French sequel in 1981? was mwah! Chef's kiss.
One in french the other anglais
Oh I agree; both have a beautiful and unique charm. But the remake is still number 1 to me. Although I will say the mother disguise in the original was better and more believable
"I can always get more toast."
Words to live by.
I saw the original French version first; BRILLIANT!!! The remake is equally entertaining; the chemistry between Robin and Nathan is delightful.
I did too. But I prefer movies in my language, and I also knew who the major actors were. Both are good.
The synchronized shoe dodge in the first scene is incredible...they did themselves a disservice by scrapping that bit
Robin Williams, what an iconic performer in his craft....and so,so missed. R.I.P Robin.
They're both brilliant. The French has more sincerity, but the American is unbeatable in comedic skill.
The French version is funnier to me. Albin and the housekeeper are so much more over the top and yet somehow more authentic. Robin Williams doesn't bring the masculine energy the way Tognazzi does. He never does really, that is not in his character. And the Laurent(Val) character in Birdcage is so unlikable.
@@LB-gz3ke Everything about the French version is funnier and done with greater finesse. I wish a full length version with English subtitles was on RUclips. Unfortunately, my French is not good enough to watch it without. This comparison is the first good quality video I have found where Alban tries to teach Zaza to butter his toast "comme John Wayne." Reviewing this after so many years is like a visit with an old friend. Back in 1979, viewing this in Berkeley, CA, the whole audience was enchanted.
I thought Nathan Lane was the bomb. One of my favorite movies.
America sucks
@@kaymuldoon3575, agreed. Always thought his Albert was more on point than Albin in the original.
My mother poo pooed most modern films. For years she was convinced Robin Williams couldn't even do a passable job of playing Georges / Armand. I saw The Birdcage first, La Cage Aux Folles second, but finally got her to watch The Birdcage. "He actually did a good job." To me, Robin Williams could have won an Oscar for the role and it wouldn't have meant as much as that compliment.
No one can beat the late great Michel Serrault, the original Zaza Napoli!
Of course you can, nathan did.
@@lampad4549 LOL
I agree entirely.
@@lampad4549 in your wildest dreams.
As a french, of course i prefer Michel Serrault! And this movie is in our cultur since 1978!!! 😂 Everybody in France konws Zaza! I think it is not the same in US!
Nathan Lane is absolutely hilarious, in this and especially in the Producers
La Cage aux folles est un chef-d'œuvre !!!! Je veux dire les deux versions. Inoubliables films.
D’accord. La deuxieme version est super aussi.
I never noticed Robin lip-synching Lane's line at 2:16
I started giggling so hard when he turned on the recording 🤣🤣🤣
I never realized how many similarities they had. I still prefer the original movie, because I love French farce, but the remake has its good points. Robin Williams was always amazing to watch.
I've only seen The Birdcage with Robin and Nathan, and it makes me roll on the floor with laughter. BUT, now that I've seen this side by side comparison, I'm laughing about as hard! I definitely need to see the original movie. (how could it NOT be funny, right?)
The original is comical, but in a more subtle manner. It has a more serious undertone to it. But still a brilliant movie, and definitely worth watching.
As a french, the original is a masterpiece!
You'll love it!♥
I like watching Robin Williams trying not to laugh at Nathan Lane, and saving the scene in the kitchen when he falls in the floor with the soup. 😄
The most unbelievable part of this movie is that Robin Williams son is supposed to be 20 years old.
I agree. I understand why teenagers are played by actors in their twenties but Dan Futterman was obviously miscast for this role. He was only 29 but looked older and didn't seem the young and naïve 20 year old as he was supposed to, he seems barely younger than his parents.
24, actually, in the original play. But the father insists he is 20 because if the boy is only 20 it means him and Albin aren’t getting older either
Absurd they have a 20 year old son. Williams did a great job and treated the role with respect and nuance of a man trying to take care of family in a crazy world
You've never met some of the jocks in my high school. Bros looked like they had a mortgage and a divorce already by the time they were 17.
I remember seeing this in THEATERS when it came out. It was a night out with coworkers after our first job, working at a theme park nearby. Had all of us ROLLING in the theater. The next year I was doing some production in theater class and something happened where I screamed super loud and my director ran over to me and says, "TELL ME YOU SEEN LA CAGE?" and I said, "The Cage?" "La Cage Aux Folles" and I said, "The Cage for Birds?...THE BIRDCAGE? Yes, I've seen the movie, but La Cage, no never seen the stage play" - After some discussion on my love of taking Theater and French classes and not ever seeing La Cage Aux Folles and being a complete disappointment if I ever hoped to impress anyone French because of it, he informed me that despite all that, if he was ever able to get permission to do a stage production, would I promise to come back WHATEVER AGE and do the production with him WHATEVER HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE he may be, specifically to be cast as the drag queen character just so I can SCREAM the same way because he LOVED it so much and said it reminded him of the film.
So thats my story. BOTH are amazing films by the way, having finally seen both. The French have a way with film, culture, masculinity and femininity and present art is such a way that no other nation could compare. This film is an example.
Simply CANNOT choose which i love more....both par excellence!!!
I have seen La Cage Aux Folles & loved it! This comparison to Birdcage is terrific! Even some of the scenes are the same.
The best French film produced by MGM!
Thank you for this excerpt!
I love!
The original movie was an Italo-French production, and half of the cast was Italian
The shoe throwing in the French version is hilarious on how fuadaully the gentleman ducked from the thrown shoe.
Now... Watching this as a kids in the nineties, (which becomes a classic... Of course) you don't fully understand everything, until you watch this as an adult, to fully get it. And now to watch this, and never knew this film existed, suddenly your whole world and childhood is rocked.
My kid has no interest in movies like I did in the 90s. Times change.
For me, the original movie is the best version ever !
Very very rarely if ever do the Americans make a film version that’s as good as the original !! THIS is the ONE ❤.. perfect film, cast, script .. it has everything ❤I adore both ❤
Both were great!!! I so enjoyed them both!!!
Both are fabulous. I have tears from laughing.
The toast scene in _La Cage aux Folles_ is funnier. But Robin WIlliams' "Fosse Fosse Fosse" scene in _The Birdcage_ is funnier.
That was Robin Williams being Robin Williams. Suddenly the genie from Aladdin came to this movie.
@@badideabearcub2747 but I think that ad lib by Robin Williams took that straightforward scene from the original and made a funnier scene.
“And let me tell you why” 😂
I remember watching parts of “The Birdcage” when I was little! It looked interesting!
My opinion: The french version hands down. It was a biting mixture of drama/and comedy. The american version was just for the laughs (sometimes unsuccessfully tipping over to farce) Robin Williams performance in anything can never be faulted of course but Calista Flockhart and Dan Futterman totally miscast.
Yeah, I think the Birdcage is saved by great performances from Williams, Lane, Hackman, Azaria, and Wiest. They play their roles over the top, but still believable.
Futterman was good, looked too old but the girl was dull!!!
Loved the original, but as an American, I can’t help but be in love with the US version.
I've seen the '96 Birdcage many many times. I learned that it was based on an earlier film, but it was only recently I found and watched that earlier '78 La Cage.
Interesting to realize how folks were struggling with these issues in 1978, and still in '96, and we still are in 2022. Many things have gotten better, thankfully, in many ways. But there are still homophobic politicians and others. Many LGBT+ folks are still pressured in one way or another to hide who they are and to not live as their authentic selves. We've come a long way, but still have a long way to go. Here's to a future where both of these films can be seen as historical relics of a bygone era and outmoded attitudes, rather than as still-relevant stories that echo the attitudes of today. Here's to that day.
Well said!!💯
Something about the French version makes me chuckle more, they have an aggression in the way they talk.
Both are absolutely exquisite...."I made you short?".....
It's one of the few times when they are both equally good!
I was the French version in the cinema when it was released in the US. Audience loved it and I enjoyed it. But, the chemistry of Robin and Nathan was just THERE ...and I loved the little background jokes throughout the film .
Remaking this film could only have been a disaster; but it wasn't and that is meaningful
The remake was really funny but for me the original is my favourite. Such a a fabulous and touching storyline xx
@8:46 - how on earth do the other cast members keep a straight face when Robin Williams goes improv on the scene? lol
Interesting fact - in the French stage production, before the film, the true relationship between father and son was delayed far longer than in the movie. Both movies are good though I do have a preference for the French film...and even more for the original stage production.
At its core, the remake was extremely faithful. It’s hard to pick a favorite.
TIMON AND GENIE are both starring in the Birdcage!
The original…. La Cage aux Folles 1978 !!!! Michel Serrault And Ugo Tognazzi are incredible
When most English speakers there, think birdcage is the most brilliant movie 😂😂😂. Don’t be ridiculous and try French language « la cage aux folles 1 et 2 » sont les plus marrantes. Chaque acteurs sont parfaits dans leur rôles et c’est tellement drôle
L'Originale, absolutement!
The Birdcage is probably my favorite movie
5:50 "First of all, you're only 20."
Dan Futterman was almost 30 when this was released, and didn't look anything like a 20 year old. They should have changed the line or cast a different actor.
Calista Flockhart was 33 and was playing an 18 year old. I wish they would have aged them up just a bit, even to both early or mid 20s
That's one of the strange things with several American movies/series. They often take actors much older than the roles to play much younger people. In the French film Remi Laurent and Luisa Maneri were 19 and 16 at the time. For Albert/ Albin it is strange too. Although Nathan delivers a good performance, his role is that of this drag queen that's starting to age, is no longer in her prime and who has raised the child for 20 years. Nathan was about 30 back then, just about the same age as Dan. Michel Serrault fits that role perfectly and his interpretation is on point.
In between these two versions there was a Broadway musical version as well. I wish we had that one to compare also. Anyway, l love both of these so much.
I personally prefer the original version; however they are not as far apart as has been the case with other remakes. I think Ugo Tognazzi's detached class is incomparable, but if there was an American actor who could fill that role without disfiguring, it was the great Robin Williams. So I give it a 10 for the original and a 9 for the US version.
The French version is far superior in laughs and heart. Michel Serrault was spectacular as Zaza.
I have both versions and I love them both equally…
Well, ones a copy and ones original
I have to vote for The Birdcage. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane,, what a combo. The whole location works a lot better as well.
Nope. Birdcage is a copy.
Such good movies both. It’s rare that a remake stands on its own creatively and in the performance, the birdcage does
La Cage Aux Folles by far the better of the two.
The Birdcage is a masterpiece.
*Both ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT* films.
"I made you short?"😂
I like the original best.
Loved the original
😆😆😆I’ve seen them both, and both are so funny. A great remake, which is quite rare ❤️
I have only seen the Birdcage. I loved it!! I have seen it a bunch of times. Never gets old.
The Americans can't afford a doctor 😂
One thing the Birdcage did that improved the story was to have the son confess to ruse in the end instead of the parents - give him a moment of redemption that brings his family back together.
Had no idea there was an original..both are hilarious!
I'm French and i love both for different reasons.
the frech toasts are awesome 😂
The difference that is not said is la cage is 3 movies and the birdcage covers all 3 in one film. Wich makes LA cage better.
The French version is the best.
I was 18 yo when I went to the movie theater among some folks from high school. I wasn’t aware which movie nor name We’re going to watch. Then there were this first scene of men dancing a tango on a dance hall with those heavy make ups. I was about to leave the theater when suddenly the movie got me. No need to say I enjoyed a lot the movie , it was so funny and currently one of my favorites ever.
The American remake with robin williams is funny but not that funny than the European guys.
The remake was magic in a bottle , Nichols, may , and a perfect cast
After all of these years, I realized what Albin said in French. He did NOT say: "Shut up, you!" LOL
"But let me tell you why.."
😂😂😂
The French original by miles!
I live in Nashville and had coffee in the building that was used in Robin William’s last movie, Boulevard. It was a bank and in the movie it was a bank. It felt very strange but made me happy at the same time. It is now a coffee ship called Sip.
Original é o MELHOR!!! Inesquecível!!! ❤❤❤
This brings me back to Berkeley in the late 70s. laughing hysterically then ...and now.
The original is AN ORIGINAL and it shows.....Robin William is ROBIN WILLIAMS and it shows.... I like both... the French version as a master piece with great actors....the US version a great Robin Williams performance with a story line copied from elsewhere and it shows.
I have enjoyed both versions multiple times, but then again I understand both French and English, and am also very familiar with both French and American customs and habits. For me, a good half of the comedy in the French one is in expressions or mannerisms that aren't always translated well in the subtitles, or noticed well when one has to read subtitles. Like when "Zaza Napoli" forgets she's not feeling well and starts advising the doctor how to reheat what he's having for dinner--that he needs to use a copper frying pan--to which he ends it as a result of being interrupting by Renato by saying "sinon, alors, je réponds de rien...". That wasn't translated but it more or less means "if not, I'm not responsible". Like with any language, there's those subtle things that when timed with the scenario, are comical.
I think those are the main differences between them. French and American pacing is different. The Birdcage is much more literal.
I think Nathan lane is better in birdcage, but the actor for robin williams character in the original is better for the role.
Love them both Je les adore aussi ❤❤❤❤
The best part of both films is when the conservative politician and wife meet the crossdressing man that normally dresses in drag and is flamboyant in his female impersonation. Its hilarious when the politician is impressed by the "traditional values" the drag queen presents. There's a real jab at gender roles in a humourous way.
In the Birdcage they overplay, in the cage aux folles (Cage of the foollish) they play.
Hugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault are outstandings.
French vesion is a comedy that goes beyond comedy.
That makes no sense.
*Ugo, he’s italian
Amen. Overplayed, not natural. Too campy.. original much better. But Im old....
Exactly, they act more natural in the original, and the emotional moments have more impact in the original.
I love both versions! They both shine in different ways! For me, it's impossible to decide. I saw The Birdcage when it first came out on VHS. I just saw the original on Pluto (along with the other two in the series) recently. I love that Lane and Williams showed respect to the original and did a fantastic job. The original was also orgeous and hysterically funny. What I really love about both films is the LOVE between the characters. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, we are often portrayed as promiscuous and hard-hearted. I really enjoy the ultimate loyalty and love that is shown between the two main characters. Both films are beautiful to me.❤
Watched this as a little kid on late night TV. 😅
yknow i wonder if the original actors ever saw the remake and what they thought of it
Defintly, The Gage Aux Folles
I love French films. They do wit and dry senses of humor very well. However, when it comes to sheer comedy, you just can’t beat Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.
Both of these but the 1996 remake version is more better because Genie and Timon are both starring in the 1996 film. And Robin Williams does an Ad-lib all the time. He is a legendary comedic genius even without a script from the directors.
I was used to watched la cage aux folles séries are really funny.Time to be relax these days .I invite others to do the same.
I miss Cage aux Folles, but I like Birdcage too.
1996 💖💖💖💖💖
1979 💖💖💖💖
Omg I love this movie
I love Aggador.😊
I don’t know how anyone kept it together while filming these scenes.
No comparison. The French original is sincere; real. The American is good for a laugh.
I do like the remake more for it's performances, direction, Elaine May's comedy, and chemistry but I just saw the original for the first time and it is still a brilliant film. Both versions are great and I can see why someone can prefer one over the other.
the boy in the french one actually looks 20 or 19. the American one looks older.
He was 19 and the girl 16. Americans were 29 and 33 (or is it 32?)
You can't beat the original! Michel Serrault's performance can never be equaled, he is the true Zaza Napoli! The remake over does it, Hollywood cheapens it, like they always do!
They should have filmed the Broadway musical.