Le Chat (1971)

Courbevoie (France), 1971. Julien Bouin, a former typographist, and his wife Clemence, who used to perform in a circus, hardly talk to each other in their small house, soon to be demolished... See full summary »

Director:

Pierre Granier-Deferre

Writers:

Pierre Granier-Deferre, Pascal Jardin

Stars:

Jean Gabin, Simone Signoret, Annie Cordy

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Jean Gabin	...	Julien Bouin
Simone Signoret	...	Clémence Bouin
Annie Cordy	...	Nelly
Jacques Rispal	...	Le docteur
Nicole Desailly	...	L'infirmière
Harry-Max	...	Le retraité
André Rouyer	...	Le délégué
Carlo Nell	...	L'agent immobilier
Yves Barsacq	...	L'architecte
Florence Haguenauer	...	Germaine
Renate Birgo	...	La crémière
Ermanno Casanova	...	Le patron du café (as Ermano Casanova)
Georges Mansart	...	Le garçon à la moto
Isabel del Río	...	La fille à la moto

Storyline

Courbevoie (France), 1971. Julien Bouin, a former typographist, and his wife Clemence, who used to perform in a circus, hardly talk to each other in their small house, soon to be demolished. His cat Greffier being the only one he still gives affection to, he becomes the object of Clemence's anger.

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Plot Keywords:

killing a pet | literature on screen | european literature on screen | french literature on screen | 20th century literature on screen | 

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Taglines:

A love/hate so devastating it destroys everything...the marriage, the wife, the husband, the house...even the cat

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Annie Cordy keep a good memory of the shooting : "Gabin was great. Between scenes, we talked about food, because that's important for him, and cycling. But what was amazing is that, I wasn't in any scenes with Simone Signoret but she came one day telling me she wanted to be there to welcome me on the shooting. She was fantastic."

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Goofs

Just after the credits (3:30) and just before the end credits (71:21) we see twice the same scene. A stretcher is pushed through an hospital emergency entrance. The first time, a nurse comes from the right while the stretcher is in the middle of a corridor. She asks an unknown person 'Bouin, ça s'écrit comment ?' answered by 'as you say it B O U I N'. (How do you spell BOUIN). The second time, the stretcher goes all the way to the back, and turn (and Gabin's face is covered, signaling his death) before the nurse appears, and she says this time 'Julien Bouin, ça s'écrit comment ?

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Connections

Featured in Mémoires pour Simone (1986)

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Soundtracks

Le Temps des Souvenirs
Music by Philippe Sarde
Lyrics by Eddy Marnay
Performed by Jean Sablon

User Reviews

The winter of our discontent

When the young lust faded, the sexual appealing disappeared day by day, day after day, facial features sagged, legs turned weak even limping started mysteriously, all the joints hurts, wrinkles all over the face, the neck skin loosened, flipped and flopped like a turkey, arms and thighs muscles shrunk and dingling like hollow balloons without air, hairs lost and dropped everywhere, teeth ached and gum disease deteriorating, eyesights became fuzzy and blurry. A couple lived together over 50 years, what else would be used as an interesting conversation? Communication with what? Without sex, life simply lost the maintaining power to go on. Sex desires distinguished by enlarged prostate, tunnel dried up after menopause. If windows not opened every morning, bedroom smelled like death, not just old fart smelly odor. Cat or no cat, that's not the excuse. Everyday to old farts is nothing but unbearable torture. Heart attack is welcome since it just happens without premotion, drop dead right on the spot is actually a blessing. Swallow sleeping pills is another way out, just gulp them down with enough tap water or bottled water. When you become old enough, awaiting death is an impatient yearning like buying lottery, you never know when you hit the jackpot to bow out.

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

24 April 1971 (France)

Also Known As:

Le Chat

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lira Films, Cinétel, Gafer

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1