| Sophie Marceau | ... | Mary | |
| Francis Huster | ... | Léon | |
| Tchéky Karyo | ... | Micky | |
| Christiane Jean | ... | Aglaé | |
| Jean-Marc Bory | ... | Simon Venin | |
| Michel Albertini | ... | André - l'amant d'Aglaé et de sa mère | |
| Saïd Amadis | ... | Le caïd | |
| Roland Dubillard | ... | Le commissaire | |
| Ged Marlon | ... | Gilbert Venin | |
| Serge Spira | ... | Le baron | |
| Julie Ravix | ... | Gisèle | |
| Marie-Christine Adam | ... | La mère de Marie | |
| Azeddine Bouayad | |||
| Harry Cleven | ... | Pluto | |
| Yann Collette | |||
| Liliane Coutanceau | |||
| Pascal Elso | |||
| Alain Flick | ... | Edgar Venin | |
| Sébastien Floche | |||
| Bernard Freyd | ... | Claude Venin | |
| Jacques Gallo | ... | Picsou | |
| Raoul Guylad | ... | Nestor | |
| Jean-Pierre Jorris | |||
| Louis Lalanne | |||
| André Obadia | |||
| Jean-François Soubielle | ... | Donald (as François Soubielle) | |
| Alexandre Tamar | |||
| Philippe Villiers | |||
| Wladimir Yordanoff | ... | Matalon | |
| Gérard Zalcberg | |||
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Pauline Lafont | ... | Martine (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Andrzej Zulawski | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Fyodor Dostoevsky | novel "The Idiot" | |
| Etienne Roda-Gil | ||
| Andrzej Zulawski | ||
Produced by | |||
| Antoine Gannagé | .... | producer | |
| Alain Sarde | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Stanislas Syrewicz | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Jean-François Robin | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Marie-Sophie Dubus | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Dominique André | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Olga Pelletier | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Sophie Landry | .... | makeup artist | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Hubert Engammare | .... | assistant director | |
| Emmanuel Gust | .... | first assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Antonio Nogueira | .... | set dresser | |
Sound Department | |||
| Joël Beldent | .... | sound engineer | |
| Elvire Lerner | .... | sound engineer | |
| Guillaume Sciama | .... | sound engineer | |
Stunts | |||
| Jean-Pierre Vignau | .... | stunts | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Georges Pierre | .... | still photographer | |
Other crew | |||
| Marie-Jo Duchemin | .... | production assistant | |
| Christine Raffa-Catonné | .... | script trainee | |
| Harmel Sbraire | .... | coach: actors | |
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| The Public Woman | Possession | Original Sin | Sweet Movie | Betty Blue |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb France section |
Indescribable. Zulawskis rendition of Dostojewski steps over the borders. This is surreal theater from it's most outside, most avant-garde, and yes, it's most autonomous perspective. The viewer is entertained, no doubt; and everything he sees is staged for his entertainment; but never is there a doubt that this is a form art that lives beyond the category of entertainment. To prove that such an art is possible, Zulawski makes his actors transform into lifeless figures that recite paradox phrases; and with that, he makes them the vulnerable animals that people really are, behind their masks. If you look at the dark sides, you can also find innocence, but you won't find reason or rationality only sheer emotion, usually struggling with one's minds rational side, but the latter is entirely lost here. Still, the protagonists find ways to give their lives a philosophical fundament, and they spent the whole of the film arguing about them, thereby feeling pain, enduring humiliation, reaching for freedom. Harshly uncompromising, ever unforgettable.