''Birgitt Haas Must Be Killed'' (French: ''Il faut tuer Birgitt Haas'') is a 1981 French-West German

political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...

film directed by

Laurent Heynemann Laurent may refer to: *Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname **Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent **Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician **Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...

and starring

Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student and ...

Jean Rochefort Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999. Life and career Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to ...

and

Lisa Kreuzer Lisa Kreuzer (born 2 December 1945) is a German television and film actress with credits for appearances in over 120 films and television series. Career Kreuzer co-starred with Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz in Wim Wenders's film ''The Americ ...

. It is based on the novel ''L'histoire de Birgitt Haas'' by Guy Teisseire.

Plot

Athanase, head of a top-secret counterintelligence group called "Hangar", is given the task of eliminating Birgitt Haas, a former German terrorist. A new ambitious member of the group, Colonna, suggests disguising the assassination as a crime of passion by connecting Birgitt with a random man who would later take the blame for the murder. For this role, Colonna suggests Bauman, an unemployed, weak-willed man whose wife left him. Bauman's ex-wife happens to be Colonna's mistress. Upon his arrival in Munich, Bauman meets Birgitt, falls in love with her and plans to go away with her. Athanase's group proceeds with their assassination plan, but Bauman intervenes. In the ensuing shootout, Colonna is mortally wounded by Birgitt who then surrenders to the police.

Cast

as Athanase *

as Charles-Philippe Bauman *

as Monica / Birgitt Haas *

Bernard Le Coq Bernard Le Coq (born 25 September 1950) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than one hundred and fifty films since 1967. His first big role Bernard Le Coq has played as Annie Girardot's son and Claude Jade's brother in the family dram ...

as Colonna *

Maurice Teynac Maurice Teynac (1915–1992) was a French actor. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry. In 1954 he appeared in London's West End in J.B. Priestley's poorly reviewed play ''The White Countess''. Selected filmogr ...

as Chamrode *

Michel Beaune Michel Beaune (1933–1990) was a French actor. Filmography *1960: ''Trapped by Fear'' - Un ami de Paul (uncredited) *1961: ''Les godelureaux'' *1964: '' Backfire'' - Daniel *1970: '' The Confession'' - L'avocat *1970: ''The Time to Die'' - ...

as Delaunay *

Victor Garrivier The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

as Nader *

Monique Chaumette Monique Chaumette (born 4 April 1927) is a French actress. She appeared in more than forty films since 1958. She was married to Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career No ...

as Laura * Christian Bouillette * Stephan Meldegg as Steinhof * Peter Chatel as Betz *

Roland Blanche Roland Blanche (31 December 1943 – 13 September 1999) was a French actor. Filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanche, Roland 1943 births 1999 deaths People from Choisy-le-Roi French male film actors French male stage actors ...

as Othenin * Dagmar Deisen as Gisella * Lucienne Hamon as Claire, la femme d'Athanase * Axel Ganz as Weidman

Reception

The film was only moderately successful in France and sold 949,556 tickets. It received mixed reviews in the U.S. Vincent Canby in ''The New York Times'' called it "an espionage melodrama of startling ineptitude" and "a movie of wrong-headed solemnity." ''The Washington Post'' criticized Heynemann and his screenwriting collaborators for approaching "a shaky thriller premise in the guise of rank, soggy-sleeved sentimentalists", and added that the film "would be substantially improved if it took a cold-eyed view of its characters." ''The Christian Science Monitor'' said it was "resonant and involving much of the time, but slippery and superficial in its refusal to take a forthright stand on the issue of terrorism itself." Stanley Kauffmann in ''The New Republic'' said the film hit "the double bull's eye". In ''WOR-TV & The New York Journal'', Judith Crist called it "an eerie, fantastic tale of undercover intrigue", and added that "three stunning performances--by Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort and Lisa Kreuzer--give credibility and power." ''Bay Area Reporter'' called it "a good thriller, and more compassionate than most", and concluded: "this is decidedly not one of those spy films in which people are no more than numbers; even minor characters are fleshed out into human form."

References

Bibliography

* Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0082547 1981 films 1981 thriller films German thriller films West German films 1980s French-language films Films directed by Laurent Heynemann Films scored by Philippe Sarde French thriller films Cultural depictions of the Red Army Faction Films shot in Munich Films set in Munich 1980s French films 1980s German films