| Laurent Terzieff | ... | Zan Fransoa Kordije (as Loran Terzijev) | |
| Horst Frank | ... | Adler | |
| Mica Orlovic | ... | Major | |
| Marijan Lovric | ... | Kapetan (as Marjan Lovric) | |
| Suzanne Flon | ... | Kordijeova majka (as Sizan Flon) | |
| Ivo Jaksic | ... | Iguman u manastiru | |
| Vladeta Dragutinovic | ... | Stajn | |
| Petar Banicevic | ... | Rober | |
| Jovan Gec | ... | General u zatvoru | |
| Zoran Milosavljevic | ... | Zarobljeni partizan | |
| Zvonko Jovcic | ... | Pukovnik | |
| Aleksandar Stojkovic | ... | Kapetanov posilni | |
| Ljubisa Jocic | ... | Mil | |
| Milivoje Popovic-Mavid | ... | Advokat | |
| Slobodan Simic | ... | Predsednik suda | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Radmilo Curcic | ... | Vodnik (uncredited) | |
| Dusan 'Krcun' Djordjevic | ... | Kordijeov otac (uncredited) | |
| Bekim Fehmiu | ... | Cuvar u cekaonici (uncredited) | |
| Dusan Golumbovski | ... | Mladi zarobljeni partizan (uncredited) | |
| Mihailo 'Misa' Janketic | ... | Magacioner (uncredited) | |
| Predrag Milinkovic | ... | Covek u sudnici (uncredited) | |
| Dusan Perkovic | ... | Nemacki oficir (uncredited) | |
| Branislav Radovic | ... | Strazar u zatvoru (uncredited) | |
| Zlatibor Stoimirov | ... | Oficir (uncredited) | |
| Mihajlo Viktorovic | ... | Pacijent (uncredited) | |
| Janez Vrhovec | ... | Nemac sa slemom (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Claude Autant-Lara | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Jean Aurenche | ||
| Pierre Bost | ||
Produced by | |||
| Moris Ergas | .... | producer | |
Cinematography by | |||
| Jacques Natteau | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Jacques Douy | |||
| Max Douy | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Vlastimir Gavrik | |||
| Dragoljub Ivkov | |||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Dejan Kosanovic | .... | assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Dragoljub Gojkovic | .... | sound | |
| Ljubomir Petek | .... | sound (as Ljuba Petek) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Zarko Tusar | .... | camera operator | |
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | News articles |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb France section |
France,early sixties:the Algerian war is coming to an end but not before 1962;pacifist Louis Lecoin is on a hunger strike in order to get the status of conscientious objector for all men who refuse to make war.The general de Gaulle will finally agree,but only when the war is over.
A voice rises;it does not come from the ranks of the nouvelle vague,no,it's an "old" director,Claude Autant-Lara,whose mother had been an active pacifist during WW1(an actress,she was thrown out from the comédie française for her ideas).Laurent Terzieff plays the part of a young man who refuses to be drafted,because of his religious beliefs. He is abetted by his mother(a wonderful Suzanne Flon).
This might be the most difficult French movie to find and see.Never broadcast on TV ,it seems to scare everybody .
"These academic old hat directors gotta get away",the new wave was ceaselessly yelling.Not one among them had the guts to tackle such a responsible hard subject.