Le Crabe-Tambour (1977)

A dying French naval frigate captain tries to make a last rendezvous in the winter storm-tossed seas off the Grand Banks, with "le crab tambour," a French war hero he had betrayed twenty ... See full summary »

Director:

Pierre Schoendoerffer

Writers:

Jean-François Chauvel (adaptation), Pierre Schoendoerffer (adaptation),

Stars:

Jean Rochefort, Claude Rich, Aurore Clément

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Rochefort	...	Captain
Claude Rich	...	Le médecin, Pierre
Aurore Clément	...	Aurore (as Aurore Clement)
Odile Versois	...	Madame
Pierre Rousseau
Jacques Dufilho	...	Chef mécanicien
Jacques Perrin	...	Lt. Willsdorff, 'le Crabe-Tambour'
Yann Brannelec
Jean Champion
Nguyen Long Cuong
François Dyrek	...	(as Francois Dyrex)
Jean Hennau
Yves Morgan-Jones
Bernard La Jarrige	...	Le recteur
François Landolf	...	(as Francois Landolt)

Storyline

A dying French naval frigate captain tries to make a last rendezvous in the winter storm-tossed seas off the Grand Banks, with "le crab tambour," a French war hero he had betrayed twenty years earlier. "Le crab tambour" the drummer crab" was a boyhood nickname for the handsome young Alsatian whom the film depicts proving his courage, first in the war in French Indochina, and then again in the "Generals' Revolt" in Algeria. Courtmartialed because friends like the French naval captain were afraid to risk their own careers by testifying for him, the exiled "crab tambour" and his trawler, The Shamrock, is now a legend among the Grand Banks fishermen.

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Plot Keywords:

french indochina | indochina | algeria | french army | naval uniform | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

9 November 1977 (France)

Also Known As:

Drummer-Crab

Company Credits

Production Co:

AMLF, Bela Productions, Lira Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Kashmir"
Performed by Led Zeppelin

User Reviews

a cerebral adventure film with stunning cinematography

A chance remark leads three French naval officers to reminisce, together and privately, about the compelling young commander Willsdorf, nicknamed The Drummer Crab, recalling his exploits from the fog-shrouded rivers of Indochina to an attempted military coup in Algeria to his lonely, anonymous vigil in the North Atlantic fishing lanes nearby. Joseph Conrad would have loved this film, arguably the finest modern seafaring adventure ever made: a thoughtful and thrilling study of man versus the elements, where the past itself becomes an elemental force even more unyielding than the vivid Winter seascapes captured by Raoul Coutard's breathtaking cinematography. In metaphor, Willsdorf's fate is the fate of French colonialism, and only by pursuing his memory, through crashing waves and hissing spindrift, can his three erstwhile companions (a dying captain, a middle-aged medical officer, and a robust, veteran Chief Engineer) confront and endure their collective loss. This is a spellbinding film, rich in history and detail.