A young intellectual, Hugo, joins the Communist Party out of a sense of idealism, only to see his principles manipulated by party leaders. He is given the assignment of killing Professor Hoederer, a party deviationist. However, he grows to admire the man and begins to have doubts about morals and revolutionary politics. But jealousy - Hugo thinks Hoederer has made love to his wife, Jessica - takes matters out of the political realm.
Writing
Sartre's dialogue cuts like a knife—every scene is a philosophy seminar with stakes.
Acting
Brasseur's Hoederer radiates dangerous charisma you completely understand Hugo falling for.
Production
Claustrophobic sets that trap you in the same ideological pressure cooker as Hugo.
Director
Fernand Rivers
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sartre wrote this in 1948 as a coded critique of Soviet communism, causing scandal among French leftists who expected unwavering loyalty.
The play was banned in socialist countries until 1968; this 1951 adaptation was one of the few ways audiences could access Sartre's most controversial work.
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