L'assassin connaît la musique... (1963)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Pierre Chenal

Writers:

Pierre Chenal (writer)
Fred Kassak (dialogue)

Plot:

Lionel Fribourg, a great composer (at least that's what HE thinks) has a problem with his noisy environment: he can't complete his unfinished symphony...

Plot Keywords:

Assassination | Black Comedy | Based On Novel

Cast

Maria Schell	...	Agnès Duvillard
Paul Meurisse	...	Lionel Fribourg
Sylvie Bréal	...	Marie-Josée Fribourg
Yvonne Clech	...	Graziella, la veuve
Fernand Guiot	...	Le commissaire
Christa Lang	...	Christine
Marcel Pérès	...	Le camionneur
Paul Demange	...	Le voisin qui se lève tôt
Pierre Sergeol	...	Le mécano
Jean Luisi	...	Le poseur de vitres
André Badin	...	L'assistant (as Badin)
Jacques Dufilho	...	Le docteur Hublot / Physician
Noël Roquevert	...	Le père Devillard
Claude Mann	...	Francis

Also Known As:

The Murderer Knows the Score (International: English title)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Company:

Général Productions

Pierre Chenal's swansong...

A long career from the golden French thirties when he made commendable films noirs .Then a cosmopolitan filmography ,but only one masterpiece : "la Foire aux Chimères" which is still crying to be seen !

"L'Assassin Connait la Musique" is a black comedy,which was not new since Chenal had already transferred to the screen "Clochemerle" .

Taking back the ferocious anti-clericalism of "Clochemerle" ,Chenal calls it quit quite honorably.There's a lot of madness,farce and grand guignol in this last effort,which is fine with me.

Paul -"Diaboliques"-Meurisse portrays a virtuoso trying to compose a symphony,and he has got only three weeks to complete it.Near the apartment where he lives,there's a garage and it's a hammer symphony all day.He meets a divorcée (Maria Schell) who 's a real dumbbell,but,and this is crucial ,who owns a desirable property in the quiet cool country. But this bubble head woman is -apparently- a holier-than-thou person;besides her dear father(Noel Roquevert) is to come to stay with her pretty soon -and he too is a hammering mad!

Some lines are really hilarious ;When her little cousin (Claude Mann) wants to take her to the pictures ,she's horrified "Goin' to a show? just after dad's funeral?".But the gentle cousin lies her on her bed and begins to console her.And she innocently adds "That' s OK ,it's not a show that !"The headlines on the newspaper after her ex-husband 's death are very funny too "his horse takes fire and he gets drowned".As are a shrink 's (Jacques Dufilho)interventions : you CAN commit suicide by beating a hammer on your head!

75 min only and never a dull moment!Schell to her papa's murderer: "thanks to you,he'll go to Heaven!"