La sentinelle (1992)

Mathias, whose dead father was a diplomat in Germany, decides to study the forensic medicine in Paris. In the train, he has some troubles with the border police, and is insulted and ... See full summary »

Director:

Arnaud Desplechin

Writers:

Arnaud Desplechin (original scenario), Pascale Ferran (adaptation),

Stars:

Emmanuel Salinger, Thibault de Montalembert, Jean-Louis Richard

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emmanuel Salinger	...	Mathias Barillet
Thibault de Montalembert	...	Jean-Jacques
Jean-Louis Richard	...	Bleicher
Valérie Dréville	...	Nathalie
Marianne Denicourt	...	Marie Barillet
Jean-Luc Boutté	...	Varins
Bruno Todeschini	...	William
Philippe Duclos	...	Macaigne
Fabrice Desplechin	...	Simon
Emmanuelle Devos	...	Claude
Philippe Laudenbach	...	The Priest
László Szabó	...	Pamiat, the Russian (as Laszlo Szabo)
Alexis Nitzer	...	Consul
Nadine Alari	...	Mme. Barillet
Jean-Pierre Ducos	...	Customs Officer

Storyline

Mathias, whose dead father was a diplomat in Germany, decides to study the forensic medicine in Paris. In the train, he has some troubles with the border police, and is insulted and threatened by a strange man, who disappeared quickly. Next day, he discovers in his luggage a shrunken human head. He soons becomes fascinated by it, feeling responsible (sentry of the memory of the head's owner) and starts his own investigation. What will leads him to cope with French secret services.

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Plot Keywords:

forensic | medicine | memory | train | investigation | 

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Genres:

Thriller

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sentinel

Filming Locations:

Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,176 (USA) (16 October 1998)

Gross:

$7,548 (USA) (23 October 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Why Not Productions, 2001 Audiovisuel, La Sept Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Prelude & Allegro"
by Fritz Kreisler

User Reviews

The pace was slow, but the plot was clever and Mr. Salinger was quite believable in the protagonist's role.

Seeing this film one time will suffice. It was offbeat and at times a bit morbid, but I stuck with it and was glad I did. Not as slow as Antonioni's "Red Desert," which is my measuring stick for movies that make me want to scream, "Get on with it!" The acting was good with a youthful cast that brought credibility to this Parisian story.