The Inquisition is in full swing in 16th century Flanders. Wanted for his dissident writings, the alchemist doctor Zeno has been wandering Europe under an assumed name for twenty years. But he remains a non-conformist. He returns to his native Bruges, where he thinks he has been forgotten. In this silent labyrinth where the faces of the past resurface, he rediscovers his identity and thus signs his death warrant.
Acting
Volonté's weary, magnetic presence carries every frame.
Cinematography
Bruges as labyrinth — shadows, canals, crumbling stone.
Direction
Delvaux merges dream logic with historical dread.
Director
André Delvaux
Gian Maria Volonté
Zenone
Sami Frey
Prieur des Cordeliers
Anna Karina
Catherine
Philippe Léotard
Henri-Maximilien
Jean Bouise
Campanus
Marie-France Pisier
Martha
Mathieu Carrière
Pierre de Hamaere
Marie-Christine Barrault
Hilzonde
Mathieu Carrière
Pierre
Johan Leysen
Rombaut
Pierre Dherte
Cyprien
Dora van der Groen
Greete
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Marguerite Yourcenar's novel, reflecting her lifelong obsession with outsiders who shape history's margins.
Delvaux called Bruges 'the most cinematographic city in the world' — he shot here multiple times, each film more labyrinthine.
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