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IMDbPro

A Pure Formality

Original title: Una pura formalità
  • 19941994
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
12K
YOUR RATING
A Pure Formality (1994)
Trailer for A Pure Formality
Play trailer1:38
1 Video
85 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller
Onoff is a famous writer who hasn't published any new books for quite some time and has become a recluse. When he is picked up by the police one stormy night, without any identification, out... Read allOnoff is a famous writer who hasn't published any new books for quite some time and has become a recluse. When he is picked up by the police one stormy night, without any identification, out of breath and running madly, without clear memory of recent events, the Inspector is susp... Read allOnoff is a famous writer who hasn't published any new books for quite some time and has become a recluse. When he is picked up by the police one stormy night, without any identification, out of breath and running madly, without clear memory of recent events, the Inspector is suspicious. Through interrogatory dialectic, the head of this lonely, isolated, broken-down po... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
12K
YOUR RATING
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
    • Giuseppe Tornatore(story and screenplay)
    • Pascal Quignard(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Gérard Depardieu
    • Roman Polanski
    • Sergio Rubini
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
    • Giuseppe Tornatore(story and screenplay)
    • Pascal Quignard(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Gérard Depardieu
    • Roman Polanski
    • Sergio Rubini
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 51User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    A Pure Formality
    Trailer 1:38
    Watch A Pure Formality

    Photos85

    A Pure Formality (1994)
    A Pure Formality (1994)
    Roman Polanski in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Sergio Rubini in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Gérard Depardieu and Roman Polanski in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Roman Polanski in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Roman Polanski in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Roman Polanski, Nicola Di Pinto, and Timothy Martin in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Sergio Rubini in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Sergio Rubini in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Maria Rosa Spagnolo in A Pure Formality (1994)
    Gérard Depardieu, Nicola Di Pinto, Paolo Lombardi, and Sergio Rubini in A Pure Formality (1994)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gérard Depardieu
    Gérard Depardieu
    • Onoff
    Roman Polanski
    Roman Polanski
    • Inspector
    Sergio Rubini
    Sergio Rubini
    • Andre, the Young Policeman
    Nicola Di Pinto
    Nicola Di Pinto
    • Captain
    Tano Cimarosa
    Tano Cimarosa
    • Servant
    Paolo Lombardi
    • Marshall
    Maria Rosa Spagnolo
    • Paula
    Alberto Sironi
    Alberto Sironi
    Giovanni Morricone
    Mahdi Kraiem
    Massimo Vanni
    Massimo Vanni
    Sebastiano Filocamo
    Timothy Martin
    Timothy Martin
    • Police Officer
    • (uncredited)
      • Giuseppe Tornatore
      • Giuseppe Tornatore(story and screenplay) (dialogue)
      • Pascal Quignard(dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All entries contain spoilers
    • Goofs
      At 28:05, as Roman Polanski, closes the door after entering in his office with Depardieu, his voice does not match his lips movement.
    • Quotes

      Andre, the Young Policeman: An idea for a new book?

      Onoff: You don't write because you have an idea, but because you can't do anything else.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Casper/Mad Love/Braveheart/Johnny Mnemonic/A Pure Formality (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Ricordare
      Music by Andrea Morricone and Ennio Morricone

      Lyrics by Pascal Quignard and Giuseppe Tornatore

      Performed by Gérard Depardieu

    User reviews51

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Intimate little mystery
    I'll admit I channel-surfed into this gem. Click, and there's Depardieu, soaking wet and haggard, speaking French with English subtitles, in a lovely cluttered room...okay, I'm intrigued. (The room alone is enough to hold my attention; wonderful set dressing.) But moments later, the intrigue deepens. Who's that Inspector, so skeptical yet almost friendly in his interrogation? The actor looks so familiar. And his Inspector is nearly apologetic. Perhaps he's a fan of Depardieu's writer?

    Boiled down to its essence, A Pure Formality is two guys talking, but I love two-guys-talking films. I was intrigued enough to avoid the listings and let the credits reveal Roman Polanski as acting the Inspector -- though he'd started his career acting, I'd seen only cameo appearances -- and his succinct performance dictates the pacing more often than not. You gotta like the guy, even though the Inspector's the antagonist to Depardieu's sympathetic and central point-of-view.

    The film appeals to me as a writer, worrying if another eloquent phrase will ever flow, as a reader of mysteries and non-fictional criminal law (intertwining cluesmithing; you can keep the gory details), as a fetishist for the French countryside and language, and as a lover of libraries.

    A Pure Formality is craftsmanship deserving a stellar DVD release.
    helpful•4
    2
    • falconesque
    • Apr 2, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 26, 1995 (United States)
      • Italy
      • France
      • Sony
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Santo Stefano di Sessanio, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica
      • DD Productions
      • Film Par Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 48 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby SR

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