The movie was released on October 18th 1973, during Yom Kippur War between Israel and Arab countries. That very day, the press attaché's wife hijacked a plane to prevent the movie from being released, claiming that the movie was pro-Israeli. She eventually was shot by police marksmen.
Louis de Funès admitted later in an interview that if any trace of racial prejudice remained in him, shooting this film helped him "clean his soul".
The music and dancing were not authentic but specially made for the movie, though still inspired by traditional Hassidic music. Still, it has been readily adopted by the French Jew community, and can often be heard at Bar Mitzvah or Jewish weddings.
This film is known as the film with the most "gags" per minute.
The final scene was filmed at Les Invalides in Paris, which is in fact a military hospital and museum. You can even see the tomb of Napoleon, which is part of the complex in the background (It is the building with the dome). There is a chapel in the complex where people can get married.
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By what name was The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973) officially released in India in English?
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