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A fake murder confession leads a detective down a rabbit hole of lies, lust, and very French chaos.
TMDB
50

La Puce et le privé (1981)

Sleazy-chicNeo-noir pasticheComedy of errors

Overview

ComedyDramaCrime

Val Brosse, a private detective, receives Françoise, who confesses to him that she murdered her husband. The story is false, but Val, intrigued, decides to investigate.

Flag of FRFRFrench
Content warning

Standout Aspects

Acting

Bruno Cremer's world-weary charm carries the entire mess.

Production

Grimy Paris locations that feel accidentally documentary.

Best for:Solo: Late night with wine and zero expectations.·Date Night: If you both love obscure French curios and ironic detachment.
R

Director

Roger Kay

ReleasedMar 11, 1981
Runtime1h 55m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feellight
Antenne 2
Mars International Productions

Top Cast

Bruno Cremer

Bruno Cremer

Valentin 'Val' Brosse

Catherine Alric

Catherine Alric

Françoise Dubois

Charles Vanel

Charles Vanel

Mathieu Fortier

Boramy Tioulong

Boramy Tioulong

Divisional commissioner Ky-Thieu

Jean-Pierre Darras

Jean-Pierre Darras

Colonel Jean-Hilaire Marcellin

Marthe Mercadier

Marthe Mercadier

Odette Rupert

Jean Topart

Jean Topart

Nicolas Octave Marcellin, pharmacist

Catherine Samie

Catherine Samie

Pharmacist

Françoise Engel

Françoise Engel

Mathilde Marcellin, the colonel

Gérard Séty

Gérard Séty

Rossi

Jean Martin

Jean Martin

Gérard Le Tizou, head waiter

Anne Canovas

Anne Canovas

Brigitte Marcellin

Roland Bertin

Roland Bertin

Max, insurance manager

René Clermont

René Clermont

Notary

Jérôme Zucca

Jérôme Zucca

Kid

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Director Roger Kay abandoned cinema after this, making it his accidental swan song to an unimpressed world.

Cultural

This sits in the weird gap between the nouvelle vague's end and the 1980s commercial boom—too late for cool, too early for irony.

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