This Man Must Die (1969)

A man asserts himself within the life of an actress he believes is somehow responsible for his son's death.

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Nicholas Blake (novel), Claude Chabrol (dialogue)

Stars:

Michel Duchaussoy, Caroline Cellier, Jean Yanne

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michel Duchaussoy	...	Charles Thénier
Caroline Cellier	...	Hélène Lanson
Jean Yanne	...	Paul Decourt
Anouk Ferjac	...	Jeanne Decourt
Marc Di Napoli	...	Philippe Decourt
Louise Chevalier	...	Madame Levenes
Guy Marly	...	Jacques Ferrand
Lorraine Rainer	...	Anna Ferrand
Dominique Zardi	...	Le premier inspecteur de police
Stéphane Di Napoli	...	Michel Thénier
Raymone	...	La mère de Paul
Michel Charrel	...	Le ferrailleur
France Girard
Bernard Papineau	...	Le policier
Robert Rondo	...	Le garagiste

Storyline

Single father obsessed with murdering the hit&run driver who killed his only child, poses as a screenwriter to get close to an actress who was in the death car. He feels fully prepared to kill the pretty young woman if she was the driver, but as his knowledge of her family grows, so does his empathy for them.

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Plot Keywords:

driver | actress | revenge | death of son | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

...a Thriller

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

This Man Must Die

Filming Locations:

Argol, Finistère, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films de la Boétie, Rizzoli Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is based on a British novel of the 1930s written by the poet C. Day Lewis, under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake and is one of several novels by him to feature as its hero the brilliant amateur sleuth Nigel Strangeways. This adaptation, in addition to moving the action to modern-day France, entirely leaves out this leading character (or any new French character equivalent to him).

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Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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Soundtracks

La terre
By Dominique Zardi

User Reviews

The ogre.

"Que la bête meure " belongs to Chabrol's golden era.This is one of his most brilliant achievements,and,nevertheless,he would do even better with the next one"le boucher",with,again,Jean Yanne,an actor,who,before ,was featured in generally mediocre commercial movies.In his two films with Chabrol ,Yanne will show skills we would never thought of.Both characters,in "que la bete..." and "le boucher" are monsters;but monsters of different kinds:in "le boucher",Yanne is pitiful,moving,a product of the war (in Algeria?)On the other hand,in "Que la bête...",he's a hateful vulgar petit bourgeois brute.Compare the way Chabrol introduces his characters:in "le boucher",Popaul appears in the first scene,the wedding banquet,and he seems a good guy.In "Que la bête...",Chabrol does not show his face during Duchaussoy's son death on the road.When finally,the father discovers the reckless driver's house,we meet first his scared family circle.Then we hear his formidable voice.All happens like in a fairy tale:Tom Thumb entering the ogre's den.Perhaps Chabrol's most terrifying character, he holds up to ridicule his wife's attempt at poetry and he cannot understand his son ,a frail,sensitive,and clever teenager. The plot will take shape quickly,and after this story of sound and fury,the last pictures brings the audience some relief.Note,in both films,"le boucher" and "Que la bête.." ,the presence of water in these last pictures.