Les innocents aux mains sales (1975)

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Richard Neely (novel)
Claude Chabrol (adaptation)

Release Date:

22 May 1975 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Saint Tropez, 1975. Julie Wormser and her lover, writer and neighbour Jeff Marle, plan the assassination of her wealthy husband Louis...

Plot Keywords:

Saint Tropez | Writer | Motorboat | Infidelity | Murder Plot

Cast

Romy Schneider	...	Julie Wormser
Rod Steiger	...	Louis Wormser
François Maistre	...	Commissaire Lamy
Paolo Giusti	...	Jeff Marle
François Perrot	...	Georges Thorent
Hans Christian Blech	...	Le juge / Judge (as Hans-Christian Blech)
Pierre Santini	...	Commissaire Villon
Jean Rochefort	...	Maître Albert Légal
Henri Attal	...	Police Officer
Serge Bento	...	Directeur de Banque
Jean Cherlian	...	Le policier du bateau
Jurgens Doeres		(as Jurgen Doeres)
Gilbert Servien
Dominique Zardi	...	Police officer

Also Known As:

Die Unschuldigen mit den schmutzigen Händen (West Germany)
Dirty Hands (USA)
Gli innocenti dalle mani sporche (Italy)
Innocents with Dirty Hands

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

France | Italy | West Germany

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Saint-Tropez, Var, France

Company:

Jupiter Generale Cinematografica

Trivia:

'Romy Schneider' dubbed herself in the final English language version (besides filming the scenes with Rod Steiger in English).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Les bidasses s'en vont en guerre (1974)

Film Noir in Sunny Setting

Claude Chabrol's Les Innocents aux Mains Sale sometimes runs the risk over becoming very, very slow-paced. Particularly the scene in the judge's office in which Julie's attorney cunningly pleads for her innocence is way, way too long. A little less dialogue, and a little more suspense would have helped this film, although it is really not bad.

But... The major attraction in this film is not the story, which, I must say, does have some highly unexpected twists and does indeed show Chabrol's creative skills and pleasure in directing. The star of Les Innocents is no one less than the wonderful Romy Schneider, whose acting performance, charm and beauty in this film are more stunning than ever before. I am very happy that Chabrol has chosen her character as the central one, for now we can admire gracious Scheider in almost every scene. I have the impression the camera man was in love with her, and who can blame him. Romy even looks amazing in the scene where she is putting curlers in her hair. She is the perfect cast for this complicated Femme Fatale role.

Although mainly the mediteranean filming locations in combination with the outstanding weather are to be credited for providing this Film Noir with a deceptively pleasant yellow, warm glow, it is Romy Scheider's radiance and talent that make Les Innocents aux Mains Sales a joy to watch.