A policeman and a serial killer play cat and mouse in an isolated mountain village in Nineteenth century France.A policeman and a serial killer play cat and mouse in an isolated mountain village in Nineteenth century France.A policeman and a serial killer play cat and mouse in an isolated mountain village in Nineteenth century France.
- Director
- Writer
- Jean Giono(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaHaving made friends with Jean Giono, Édouard Molinaro was asked by the writer to co-write and direct the film. They did write a first draft of the script and went as far as to scout locations in the Aubrac region but the project failed for production reasons. François Leterrier took over two years later.
- SoundtracksPourquoi faut-il que les Hommes s'Ennuient ?
Music by Jacques Brel
Lyrics by Jacques Brel
Performed by Jacques Brel
Featured review
superb metaphysical thriller
I have just seen a french DVD copy of this film. It is one of the most interesting thrillers I've seen in along time. The visuals are astonishing and the dialogues are as sophisticated as you would expect from someone like Giono. The concept is fascinating: a policeman and a serial killer play cat and mouse in an isolated mountain village in Nineteenth century France. Unlike most thrillers, there is no psychological explanation of the killer's motives, but a metaphysical, existential reflection of the nature of murder, which can be considered highly original, and at least as immoral as De Quincey's thesis.
It is clear that this film was a heavy influence on Chistophe Gans' "Brotherhood of the wolf", although I would suggest that the unexpected (yet totally coherent) twist at the ending has been copied in many films such as Friedkin's "Cruising" (francophile smart ass!) or Von Trier's "Element of crime".
It is clear that this film was a heavy influence on Chistophe Gans' "Brotherhood of the wolf", although I would suggest that the unexpected (yet totally coherent) twist at the ending has been copied in many films such as Friedkin's "Cruising" (francophile smart ass!) or Von Trier's "Element of crime".
helpful•72
- alvaro_dd
- Feb 10, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- A King Without Distraction
- Filming locations
- Les Hermaux, Lozère, France(village where the action is set)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
By what name was Un roi sans divertissement (1963) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer