Ni vu, ni connu ("Neither seen, nor known") is a 1958 French comedy film directed by Yves Robert, adapted from the 1899 novel L'Affaire Blaireau by Alphonse Allais.
Léon Blaireau (Louis de Funès) is a poacher with borderline supernatural skills who manages to evade being captured by his Arch-Enemy, the gamekeeper Ovide Parju (Moustache), for 20 years with the help of his trusty dog, Fout-le-Camp. Despite being an outlaw, he brings a large portion of foods to the inhabitants of Montpaillard and is therefore popular there, much to the ire of Parju and the village mayor, Monsieur Dubenoit (Frédéric Duvallès).
The movie is in two separate parts: The first shows Blaireau's ingenuity, hunting/fishing skills, and cunning in order to avoid being caught by Parju. The second sets the plot in motion when Blaireau is mistakenly accused of assaulting Parju, when the actual culprit is the lovesick piano teacher Armand Fléchard (Claude Rich), who is in love with the tomboyish Arabella de Chaville (Noëlle Adam), daughter of the local landowner (Roland Armontel).
Ni vu, ni connu provides examples of:
- Berserk Button: Blaireau might be a chill guy overall, but he is livid when Parju uses his dog to catch him and plans to sink him by sabotaging a boat.Parju: Red-Handed! I'll catch him red-handed!
Blaireau: [snickering] Wait a little bit, mate... Wait a little bit... - Boxed Crook: Mr. Bluette is frequently using his prisoners' "talents" in order to manage his prison. He is kind enough to allow Blaireau to fish in the creek of his garden.Blaireau: Mr. Bluette... Do you like crayfish?
Bluette: [chuckles] Aw... if I like them?
Blaireau: May I "Tinker"?note
Bluette: "Tinker," my friend. "Tinker." - Canine Companion: Fout-le-Camp is Blaireau's loyal dog, and he helps him regularly in his schemes to foil Parju.
- Caught in a Snare: Blaireau's favorite method of hunting; we see him trapping a pheasant under a cage.
- Frame-Up: Blaireau is misblamed for attacking his Arch-Enemy gamekeeper Parju while it is in fact the timid and meek Armand Fléchard who has run into Parju. The mayor really doesn't care and only wants an excuse to lock up Blaireau.
- Gilded Cage: Mr. Bluette is incredibly affable with his inmates and even use their natural talents for their staff. In fact, Blaireau love it so much that he refuses to leave it when his innocence has been proved!
- Heroes Gone Fishing: The entire village decides to do a fishing contest in order to celebrate the open fishing season. Angry to have his talents mocked for not "fighting fair", Blaireau decides to joins and still manages to prove himself [1]
. - Honor Before Reason: Even though it's well known that he is a poacher, Blaireau still wants to participate into a fishing contest after other mocked him for not fighting fair:Random Patron: Come on Blaireau, it's easy to catch fish when the fishing season is down...
Another Patron: When it comes to fairness, you aren't as clever as everyone else...
Blaireau: [laugh mockingly] Even if I fight fair, I beat all of you!
[walks up to Parju]
Blaireau: PARJU! Parju... add me to the contest! - Ironic Name: Blaireau's dog is called Fout-le-Camp, which means "Get Out!" Naturally, his master is regularly calling for him to come closer.Blaireau: [whistle] Viens ici, Fout-le-Camp !
- Meddlesome Patrolman: Parju is a Meddlesome Forest Guard and gamekeeper, who is constantly outwitted by the poacher protagonist.
- Roguish Poacher: Mr. Bluette, the prison director, calls him a "Rural Bohemian" but the mayor angrily reminds that Blaireau is still a poacher. Much to his dismay, Blaireau is incredibly popular in the village since he brings most of the game and fishes....
