Les magiciens (1976)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol (writer)
Paul Gégauff (writer)

Release Date:

12 May 1976 (France)

Plot:

Strange passions and personalities collide at a holiday resort hotel in Tunisia. Vestar the stage magician...

Cast

Franco Nero	...	Sadry
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Sylvia
Jean Rochefort	...	Edouard
Gert Fröbe	...	Vestar
Gila von Weitershausen	...	Martine
Moheddine Mrad	...	Doctor
Jalila Baccar	...	Sadry's Sister
Madame Ben Chadly	...	Sadry's Mother
Habib Chaari	...	Balloon Seller
Cecile Labussiere	...	Caterina

Also Known As:

Death Rite (USA)
Die Schuldigen mit den sauberen Händen (West Germany)
Profezia di un delitto (Italy)

Runtime:

USA:94 min | Argentina:97 min

Country:

France | West Germany | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Argentina:16

Company:

Carthago Films S.a.r.l.

Nothing magic

After "les noces rouges" (1973) ,began Chabrol's second period of barren inspiration.Although adapted from a Frederic Dard novel (Robert Hossein's best film was a Dard novel: "Toi le Venin" ),"Les Magiciens " is a mediocre movie ,which was probably made to combine business with pleasure ( holidays in Tunisia in a luxury hotel).

The plot: a conjurer explains to an idle dandy,Edouard, that he can predict a murder.Edouard will help make his prediction come true. The cast includes Jean Rochefort -a non chabrolesque actor- ,Gert "Goldfinger " Froebe,one of the few foreign actors which Chabrol did not have to dub in French ,and one of Bertolucci's favorites ,Stefania Sandrelli.That does not make a film for all that.