Paul Braconnier and his wife Blandine only have one thing in mind: to find a way to kill each other without risk. After listening to a radio show, Paul decides to go to Paris to meet a famous lawyer in the acquittal of the murderers. He tells the lawyer that he killed his wife. The lawyer asks Paul to reconstruct the circumstances of the drama. Without knowing it, he explains, in spite of himself, the way for Paul to murder his wife by putting the odds on his side to avoid death penalty or even be released...
Writing
Sacha Guitry's dialogue snaps like a mousetrap.
Acting
Michel Simon's deadpan desperation is chef's kiss.
Director
Sacha Guitry
Michel Simon
Paul Louis Victor Braconnier
Jean Debucourt
Maître Aubanel
Jacques Varennes
Le procureur
Germaine Reuver
Blandine Braconnier
Marcelle Arnold
Germaine Chevillard
Georges Bever
Mr Gaillard
Nicolas Amato
Victor Boitevin
Jeanne Fusier-Gir
Mme Tyberghen
Pauline Carton
Mme Michaud
Albert Duvaleix
L'abbé Méthivier
Louis de Funès
André
Henry Laverne
Le président
Jacques de Féraudy
Jean Brun
Luce Fabiole
Amélie, la servante du curé
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sacha Guitry directed, wrote, and frequently starred in his own films—this one's the rare exception where he stays behind camera.
Based on a real French murder case that scandalized 1930s rural France, Guitry transforms grim true crime into bougie marital slapstick.
FR
