La Belle Américaine (The American Beauty) (1961)

Robert Dhéry, Colette Brosset, Catherine Sola, Alfred Adam, Michel Serrault ... see more  , Christian Marin , Jacques Fabbri , Louis de Funès , Jean Carmet , Jacques Charrier , Bernard Dheran , Gilberte Geniat , Roger Pierre , King Sunny Ade and His African Beats , Pierre Tchernia , Jean Richard , Jacques Legras , Jean-Marc Thibault , Robert Burnier , Pierre Dac , Robert Destain , Helene Dieudonne , Annie Ducaux , Bernard Lavalette , Robert Rollis , Eliane D'Almeida

In this French variation on Mark Twain's Man with a Million story, a man's life is completely changed by the acquisition of a new car. Marcel, a Chaplainesque factory worker, sets out to buy an old mo... read more torcycle and ends up getting a new Cadillac convertible (the "beautiful American" of the title) for $100. He loses his job and suffers other misadventures, but is then amazed at how people treat him when they learn he owns the prestigious vehicle. Amusing little farce makes a few telling points about the pretensions of the very rich. ~ Michael P. Rogers, Rovi