In Montauban in 1944, Julien Dandieu is a surgeon in the local hospital. Frightened by the German army entering Montauban, he asks his friend Francois to drive his wife and his daughter in the back country village where Julien has an old castle. One week later, Julien decides to meet them for the week end, but the Germans are already occupying the village.
Acting
Noiret's transformation from gentle doctor to hollow instrument of death.
Cinematography
The castle becomes a character—shadows, stone, and suffocating silence.
Direction
Enrico makes 103 minutes feel like a lifetime of dread.
Director
Robert Enrico
Philippe Noiret
Julien Dandieu
Romy Schneider
Clara Dandieu
Jean Bouise
François
Joachim Hansen
SS Officer
Robert Hoffmann
German Lieutenant
Karl Michael Vogler
Dr. Müller
Madeleine Ozeray
Mme Dandieu, la mère de Julien
Jean-Paul Cisife
Le chef milicien
Antoine Saint-John
Le soldat allemand tué dans la cuisine
Daniel Breton
Walter
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The flamethrower was real and fully functional; the actor operating it was a trained pyrotechnician.
Released when French cinema was wrestling with occupation trauma, it was criticized for being 'too American' in its revenge structure—now it's seen as ahead of its time.
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