Film Screening: Au Menu—L'Aile ou la cuisse

L’Aile ou la cuisse (The Wing or the Thigh)
Claude Zidi • 1976 • 104 mins • France

Join us for the next installment of Au Menu, our gastronomy-themed film series!

Just in time for the holidays, we’ll be screening Claude Zidi’s classic French comedy L’Aile ou la cuisse, starring Coluche and France’s favorite actor, Louis de Funès.

The film recounts the adventures of Charles Duchemin, director of a gastronomic guide and defender of traditional French cuisine, and his son Gérard, an artist, in their crusade against industrial food spearheaded by Jacques Tricatel and his “restoroutes”. The fim is a satire of both the Michelin Guide and French businessman Jacques Borel, the “Napoléon du prêt-à-manger” known for introducing fast food to France.

L’Aile ou la cuisse was France’s number 1 French film at the 1976 box office and received a Goldene Leinwand (Golden Screen) in Germany in 1978. It has become a classic in France and was viewed by over four million when it was broadcast on French television during lockdown in March of 2020.

Post-screening discussion with François Peltier, Foreign Policy & Diplomacy Service Assistant at the Consulate General of Canada in Chicago.

Entrée libre: free for high school and university students with ID on site; .edu addresses accepted online.

About Claude Zidi

Claude Zidi is a French film director and screenwriter known for his mainstream burlesque comedies. Born in Paris on July 25, 1934, he started his career as a cameraman and cinematographer before making his directorial debut in 1971. He won the César Award for Best Director and was nominated for Best Writing for his 1984 comedy My New Partner.

About François Peltier

François obtained his Master’s degree in Cinema Studies from the Université de Rennes in 2017. He has studied contemporary French cinema and is particularly passionate about the evolution of television series in the 21st century.

François moved to Chicago in 2018 and worked with us at the Alliance Française. He now works in the Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Services of the Consulate General of Canada in Chicago where, among other duties, he facilitates the Consulate’s collaboration with the Alliance, the French Consulate, and other organizations in planning Francophone and French cultural events in Chicago.