Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Betty Schneider | ... | Anne Goupil | |
Giani Esposito | ... | Gerard Lenz | |
Françoise Prévost | ... | Terry Yordan | |
Daniel Crohem | ... | Philip Kaufman | |
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François Maistre | ... | Pierre Goupil |
Brigitte Juslin | ... | Birgitta | |
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Noëlle Leiris | ||
Monique Le Porrier | ... | Juan's Sister | |
Malka Ribowska | ... | Tania Fedin | |
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Louison Roblin | ... | Ida (as Louise Roblin) |
Anne Zamire | ... | Aniouta Barsky | |
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Paul Bisciglia | ... | Paul |
Jean-Pierre Delage | ... | Monsieur Boileau | |
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Claus Von Lorbach | ||
Jean Martin |
Anne Goupil is a literature student in Paris in 1957. Her elder brother, Pierre, takes her to a friend's party where the guests include Philip Kaufman, an expatriate American escaping McCarthyism, and Gerard Lenz, a theatre director who arrives with the mysterious woman Terry. The talk at the party is about the apparent suicide of their friend Juan, a Spanish activist who had recently broken up with Terry. Philip warns Anne that the forces that killed Juan will soon do the same to Gerard. Gerard is trying to rehearse Shakespeare's "Pericles", although he has no financial backing. Anne takes a part in the play to help Gerard, and to try to discover why Juan died. Written by Will Gilbert
A rather wordy first feature from Jacques Rivette set in 1957 and probably filmed that year as we know it took some time to get a release. If the film had difficulties back in the day it would seem it has even more now. The young men look far too old to be going around acting in the way they do yet we are presented with this bunch of alienated persons, alienated either by their own existentialist attitude and stated beliefs or their immigrant status. One has fled Spain another the fruits of Mccarthyism in the US and all meet and disperse, foretelling of doom, murder and suicide. At the same time a production of Shakespeare's Pericles is being attempted and although I do not know the play I understand the problems of staging it is an ongoing feature and the unresolved nature of much of the play is reflected here in the story of alienated 'youth'.