The Tuches: was the film really shot in Monaco?
First part of the very popular French saga, the comedy “Les Tuche” takes up the famous Bouzolles family on the Monegasque Rock. But were Olivier Baroux and his team able to shoot on location?
The Tuches : a family like no other
Who would have thought that the Belgian broadcast Striptease can give rise to one of the most popular sagas of French comedy? In effect, The Tuches known in 2011 an almost innocuous release in theaters (as well as severe feedback from the press). And this, despite a nice duo composed in particular of Jean-Paul Rouve (who found the director Olivier Baroux, 5 years later Tonight I sleep at your place) and Isabelle Nanty. It was finally its broadcast on TF1 in 2014 that won the sustainability of the saga, since it provided 9 million viewers.
As a reminder, The Tuches we invite to a proletarian and wacky family who lives in the small (fictional) village of Bouzolles. Broke like wheat but happy, the Tuches will experience a pleasant surprise. Indeed, thanks to the Eurolottery, they become millionaires overnight and pocket 100 million euros. They then decide on the spot to leave their village to reach the lush city of Monaco, where many adventures await them.
like a hurricane
If the two main sets of The Tuches are Bouzolles and Monaco, you should know that the film crew did not shoot in either of these two cities. The first simply does not exist in France, although it is inspired by certain municipalities in the North of France. Thus, it is the village of Salin-de-Giraud which was used to designate the place of life of the Tuches. The town is located not far from the city of Arles.
As for the second, Olivier Baroux and his team simply did not receive permission from Le Rocher to shoot their scenes there. As the director explained in The Republican East :
I don’t think the boss, Albert, read the script, but those around him revealed that it was not the image they thought they were defending. It’s not a charge against Monaco, but they didn’t understand that.
To recreate the atmosphere of the principality, the production took place in several locations in the south-east of France such as Roquebrune-Cap Martin, Cassis or even Sanary-sur-Mer. To be ironic about the ban on filming in Monaco, the film crew The Tuches however, found a trick. Indeed, the release of the film was shifted from Wednesday to Friday. The reason ? That same day, Prince Albert II of Monaco was to marry former South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock (now Charlene of Monaco). The public therefore had the choice between following the princely wedding or going to see The Tuches. Huge dilemma…