A highway engineer is involved in a car crash, after which, near death, he remembers his life leading up to the accident.
Bill Pullman, aka President Whitmore from Independence Day, reveals what the movie studio wanted to call the film.
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Title: The Things of Life (1970)
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1 win & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Michel Piccoli | ... | Pierre Bérard | |
| Romy Schneider | ... | Hélène | |
 |
Gérard Lartigau | ... | Bertrand Bérard |
| Jean Bouise | ... | François | |
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Boby Lapointe | ... | Le bétailleur |
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Hervé Sand | ... | Le camionneur |
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Jacques Richard | ... | L'infirmier |
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Betty Beckers | ... | L'autostoppeuse |
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Dominique Zardi | ... | L'autostoppeur |
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Gabrielle Doulcet | ... | Guitte |
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Roger Crouzet | ... | Le promoteur |
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Henri Nassiet | ... | M. Bérard, le père de Pierre |
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Claude Confortès | ... | Le docteur |
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Jerry Brouer | ... | Le prétendant |
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Jean Gras | ... | Georges, le chef de chantier |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Pierre, a successful engineer in building highways has a traffic accident. Being seriously wounded, he is lying waiting for death and remembering his past in flashbacks. Written by Mattias Thuresson
Plot Keywords:
waiting | flashback | end of love | death of loved one | car truck crash |Taglines:
Official French Entry, Cannes Film FestivalParents Guide:
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Details
Language:
FrenchRelease Date:
13 March 1970 (France) See more »Also Known As:
The Things of Life See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$25,314, 31 December 2015Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$2,367,359Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
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Written by Philippe Sarde
Performed by Jean-Michel Defaye Et Son Orchestre
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The extensive car accident sequence took 10 days to film. See more »Goofs
In the car crash scene, the stunt double for Michel Piccoli is seen wearing brown gloves in close-ups. However Piccoli is bare-handed while driving. See more »Quotes
Hélène: Tu m'aimes parce que je suis là. Mais s'il faut traverser la rue pour me rejoindre tu es perdu.See more »
Soundtracks
Prélude A L'AccidentWritten by Philippe Sarde
Performed by Jean-Michel Defaye Et Son Orchestre
See more »
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With "les choses de la vie" ,Claude Sautet relinquished his former style ,film noir ("classes tous risques" "l'arme à gauche" both worth seeking)in favor of bourgeois psychological dramas .
"Les choses de la vie" was the first link on the chain,and -with the exception of "Max et les ferrailleurs" (1971),which showed Sautet at the height of his powers,when he came back for a short while to his first inspiration-remains the best of this "cinema de qualité".
Unlike the other works ("Mado" "Cesar et Rosalie" "Vincent,François,Paul et les autres" "une histoire simple" ,etc etc etc) ,"les choses de la vie" has an emotional power and an unusual inventive direction.Editing is stunning (the first picture is one wheel of the car ),and never a car accident was filmed with such mastery.Flashbacks are used with great skill too.The nightmare scene (the wedding) remains very impressive today.And the metaphorical way Sautet uses to depict the hero's death commands respect and admiration.The last part of the movie is almost completely silent,but the strength of the pictures and the actors' talent (Piccoli,Schneider,but Lea Massari and Jean Bouise too)work wonders.Superb score.louis Delluc prize.
Remake :"intersection" featuring Richard Gere.As I cannot say something nice...