Coup de torchon (1981)

1938, in a French african colony. Lucien Cordier is the cop of this village, populated with blacks and a few whites (usually racialist and lustful). He is a washout, everyone (including his... See full summary »

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

Jean Aurenche, Bertrand Tavernier,

Stars:

Philippe Noiret, Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Pierre Marielle

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philippe Noiret	...	Lucien Cordier
Isabelle Huppert	...	Rose Mercaillou
Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	Le Peron et son frère L'adjudant Georges Le Peron
Stéphane Audran	...	Huguette Cordier
Eddy Mitchell	...	Nono - l'amant demeuré d'Huguette
Guy Marchand	...	Marcel Chavasson
Irène Skobline	...	Anne - la nouvelle institutrice
Michel Beaune	...	Vanderbrouck - un nouveau riche arrogant
Jean Champion	...	Priest
Victor Garrivier	...	Mercaillou
Gérard Hernandez	...	Leonelli
Abdoulaye Diop	...	Fête Nat - le serviteur noir de Lucien
Daniel Langlet	...	Paulo - un flic larvaire
François Perrot	...	Le colonel Tramichel
Raymond Hermantier	...	L'aveugle

Storyline

1938, in a French african colony. Lucien Cordier is the cop of this village, populated with blacks and a few whites (usually racialist and lustful). He is a washout, everyone (including his wife Huguette) humiliates him. He never arrests anyone and looks at elsewhere when a dirty trick occurs. But one day, he turns into a machiavellian exterminating angel.

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Plot Keywords:

breasts | prostitute | pimp | bare breasts | unfaithful wife | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

4 November 1981 (France)

Also Known As:

1280 almas

Filming Locations:

Avenue Blaise-Diagne, Saint-Louis, Senegal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films de la Tour, Films A2, Little Bear

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The singer Eddy Mitchell, in a major fictional role for the first time, thought he was so bad after watching the dailies that he insisted to do some of his scenes once again. Because no one would agree, he jokingly stated: "since I'm actually the richest one of the crew, I'll pay for all the scenes I'm allowed to do again" and was almost taken seriously. From then on, he never went to watch the dailies again.

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Goofs

When Marcel is playing billiards, he continues his turn even though he has not scored.

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Quotes

[Marcel Chevasson is bragging about how he dealt with two offenders]
Marcel Chevasson: Where do you think they are now?
Lucien Cordier: In jail?
Marcel Chevasson: Someday you'll learn a coffin costs the state less than a man in a cell, old chum.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, we are correctly informed that the film is based on the novel "Pop. 1280"; but during the end titles, we are informed that it is based on "Pop. 1275". This is consistent with the official title retained for the translation into French, which is "1275 Ames" (literally: "1275 Souls"), and which reflects the fact that 5 people have died during the course of action.

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Connections

References L'affaire du courrier de Lyon (1937)

User Reviews

Brutal, darkly humorous and brilliantly done film noir

Jim Thompson meets Joseph Conrad in a small, dusty town in Senegal. The writing is excellent throughout, delving into themes that most films would never have the guts to handle. Brutal, darkly humorous and brilliantly done. A great, great film noir. Not a movie for those easily offended (though one they should probably see and learn from.)