The Clockmaker of St. Paul (1974)
"L'horloger de Saint-Paul" (original title)

A Watchmaker finds out one day that his son has become a murderer. He tries to understand for whom and why.

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

Georges Simenon (novel), Jean Aurenche,

Stars:

Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort, Jacques Denis

5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philippe Noiret	...	Michel Descombes - un paisible horloger
Jean Rochefort	...	Le commissaire Guilboud
Jacques Denis	...	Antoine - un ami de Michel
Yves Afonso	...	L'officer de police Bricard
Julien Bertheau	...	Edouard - un ami de Michel
Jacques Hilling	...	Costes - un journaliste
Clotilde Joano	...	Janine Boitard - une journaliste
Andrée Tainsy	...	Madeleine Fourmet - qui a élevé Bernard
William Sabatier	...	L'avocat
Cécile Vassort	...	Martine - une ouvrière
Sylvain Rougerie	...	Bernard Descombes - le fils de Michel
Christine Pascal	...	Liliane Torrini - la compagne de Bernard
Liza Braconnier	...	La femme de ménage
Hervé Morel	...	Bricard's assistant
Sacha Bauer	...	Le juge d'instruction

Storyline

Michel Descombes is a watchmaker in the district of Saint-Paul, Lyons. He lives quietly, alone with his almost grown-up son, Bernard. One day, the police come and say Bernard murdered a FACTORY OWNER. Superintendent Guiboud asks Michel for help. But Michel realizes how little he knows about his son. He also starts to feel he is unable to blame his son.

---

Plot Keywords:

watchmaker | lyon | murder | journalist | burning car | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

28 June 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Clockmaker

Filming Locations:

Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey, Ain, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lira Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

to Jacques Prevert

---

Connections

Referenced in Sneak Previews: The Best of 1976 (1977)

User Reviews

Professional and paradoxical.

L'HORLOGER is faultless. Based on a Simenon novel, it is a measured take on crime, not from the usual point of view of the criminal or the detective, but the waiting father, who must come to terms with his own past and deceptions as a parent.

In avoiding melodrama, the film follows a determinedly unsensational, grey, flat, mundane route. Tavernier rejected the flashiness of the nouvelle vague, in favour of older traditions of French cinema, with emphasis on character, and milieu, meaningful camera movements, and a literate, complex screenplay, while also linking cinematic tradition to his narrative of fathers and sons.

His recreation of Lyons is novel after a decade of Paris overkill, and you can feel the post-1968 political tension, the alarming shift to the right, and the straying of decent men into violence. Phillipe Noiret, one of Europe's greatest actors, is quietly astounding. Everything about the film is as good as it should be. So why, if I may say so under IMDb guidelines, isn't it very interesting?