Nada (1974)

A group of anarchist leftist called "Nada" and led by the terrorist Buenaventura Diaz abducts the American ambassador Richard Poindexter in a brothel in Paris and brings him to a farm in ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol (screenplay), Antonietta Malzieri (screenplay)

Stars:

Fabio Testi, Maurice Garrel, Lou Castel

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fabio Testi	...	Buenaventura Diaz
Michel Duchaussoy	...	Marcel Treuffais
Maurice Garrel	...	André Épaulard
Michel Aumont	...	Goemond
Lou Castel	...	D'Arey
Didier Kaminka	...	Meyer
André Falcon	...	Le ministre / The Minister
François Perrot
Lyle Joyce	...	Richard Poindexter
Viviane Romance	...	Madame Gabrielle
Mariangela Melato	...	Veronique Cash
Henri Attal
Jean-Marie Arnoux
George Birt
François Cadet

Storyline

A group of anarchist leftist called "Nada" and led by the terrorist Buenaventura Diaz abducts the American ambassador Richard Poindexter in a brothel in Paris and brings him to a farm in the countryside. The French Minister gives a blank cheque to the violent chief of police Goemond that is assigned to destroy the kidnappers. Then the Minister makes him the scapegoat of the messy situation to protect the State.

---

Plot Keywords:

terrorist | american ambassador | police | ambassador | violence | 

---

Taglines:

They Were All Rotten to the Core!

---

Genres:

Thriller

---

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

6 February 1974 (France)

Also Known As:

Anarhikoi

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Italian International Film,Les Films de la Boétie,Verona Produzione

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is based on the novel "Nada", by Jean-Patrick Manchette. In fact, while the gang members are discussing the plan in Treuffais' apartment, Díaz notes that the brothel the ambassador should be at is located between Kleber Avenue and Manchette Street. That is a screenwriters' funny idea. In the novel, there is not any Manchette Street, obviously.

---

Quotes

Buenaventura Diaz: [after shooting the hostage] They've come to kill us! Not to capture us but to massacre us! That's one less diplomat!

---

Connections

Featured in Le fils de Gascogne (1995)

User Reviews

Cynical, minimalist Chabrol

THE NADA GANG (Claude Chabrol - France/Italy 1974).

With this excellent political thriller Claude Chabrol charted into more familiar genre territory. This time he made this cynical account about a small Franch group of post '68 terrorists kidnapping the American ambassador from a luxury Parisian brothel, secreting him away in an isolated farmhouse while they wait for an answer to their demands. But the police chief they're dealing with is even more violent than they are and doesn't care about getting back the hostage alive.

In hindsight this film has become a typical exponent of the - mostly left wing - underground activities in the '70s and 80's. In these modern times, when terrorism is almost exclusively associated with Islamic religiously motivated terrorists, this kind of political activism comes across as refreshingly modern.

While some might consider Nada as somewhat of a disappointment after Chabrol's brilliant series of films, like La femme infidèle (1969) Qua la bête meure (1969), Le Boucher (1970), La Rupture (1970) and Juste avant la nuit (1971), this remains cool, stylish and exciting film-making of the kind very few directors can match. And what about Fabio Testi in his black leather overcoat? Is he the coolest looking criminal you've ever seen, or what?

Camera Obscura --- 8/10