"Mad Adventures Of Rabbi Jacob" Comedy Film Inspires Flash Mob in France

The wacky comedy film The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob made its debut in 1973.  It got some attention in the U. S. but was (and still is) a blockbuster hit in France. 

Wikipedia's entry for the film says:

The film is widely regarded as one of the great masterpieces of French comedy, and has become a cult film. It is also seen as one of the best socially-aware films, as the topic of the film (racism) is actually very serious. It contains funny (but clever) musings about a multicultural society and also delivers a powerful statement in favor of tolerance and understanding.

The plot is much too complex to explain in this post, but a one sentence version would be:

A bigoted Frenchman finds himself forced to impersonate a popular rabbi while on the run from a group of assassins - and the police.

You can read a full synopsis here.

There is a wild Chassidic dance scene in the film that has been the subject of many takeoffs and spoofs.  Last Thursday, at a Leroy Merlin home improvement and garden store in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, a city in northern France, shoppers were surprised to see a flash mob of employees suddenly break out into a dance inspired by Rabbi Jacob,and then, just as suddenly, disappear into the crowd.

Watch the original scene from the 37-year-old film, and just below it, the video from three days ago at the French "Home Depot."   If you want to see the whole "Rabbi Jacob" film, it's available for rental from Netflix.  Enjoy!