''Law Breakers'' (french: Les Assassins de l'ordre) is a 1971 French
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
starring
Jacques Brel
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
, directed by
Marcel Carné
Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include '' Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), '' The Devil's Envoys ...
. It was entered into the
7th Moscow International Film Festival
The 7th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 20 July to 3 August 1971. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian film ''Confessions of a Police Captain'' directed by Damiano Damiani, the Japanese film ''Live Today, Die Tomorrow!'' ...
.
Based on a real-life incident, an idealistic and dedicated magistrate is assigned to examine the case of two policemen and their inspector who have beaten a suspect to death. By the time the case is heard in court, all the witnesses and the widow's counsel have been intimidated into silence, the magistrate himself has come under heavy pressure to drop the case, and the three murderers walk free.
Plot
In Provence just before Christmas, a former prisoner suspected of robbery is dragged from his home by two policemen, taken to the police station, and beaten to death. His widow then files a charge and the case is allocated to the magistrate Bernard Level for judicial investigation. Both the two policemen and the inspector on duty deny any wrongdoing, as does the one other policeman in the station and two men then in custody, all of them claiming that the death was an accident, perhaps a heart attack. The autopsy is explicit however, so Level must either break the false testimony of at least one person in the station or find other witnesses.
His efforts unearth two new witnesses: a prostitute who was in custody at the time but was whisked out of town by the police, and a bartender who served the dead man on his way home for the last time. He recommends prosecution of the two policemen and of the inspector who covers up for them. By the time the case comes to court, all the witnesses and the widow's counsel have been intimidated into silence, while Level himself has come under intense pressure. His son has had marijuana planted on him while his girl friend, an Italian antiques dealer, has been sold a stolen object and faces deportation.
Despite the efforts of the presiding judge to get witnesses to tell the truth, the trial is a foregone conclusion and the three guilty men are acquitted. Level has to rethink his future.
Cast
*
Jacques Brel
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
as Le juge d'instruction Bernard Level
*
Catherine Rouvel
Catherine Rouvel (born Catherine Vitale; 31 August 1939 in Marseille) is an acclaimed French actress. Her career spans from 1959 in television to 2004.
She starred in Jean Renoir's ''Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe'', Marcel Carné's ''Les Assassins de ...
as Danièle Lebegue
*
Paola Pitagora as Laura
*
Roland Lesaffre
Roland Lesaffre (26 June 1927 – 3 February 2009) was a French film actor.Turk p.380 He appeared in many films directed by Marcel Carné.
Selected filmography
* ''La présidente'' (1938)
* ''L'embuscade'' (1941)
* '' La Marie du port'' (1950) - ...
as Saugeat
*
Boby Lapointe
Robert Jean-François Joseph Pascal Lapointe (; 16 April 1922 – 29 June 1972), better known by his stage name Boby Lapointe (), was a French actor and singer, noted for his humorous texts, alliterationsSee the titles: ''Aubade à Lydie en do'' ...
as Louis Casso
*
Jean-Roger Caussimon as Le commissaire Lagache
*
Henri Nassiet
Henri Nassiet (1895–1977) was a French actor.
Selected filmography
* ''Maman Pierre'' (1922)
* ''La griffe du hasard'' (1937) - Séverac (uncredited)
* ''Life Dances On'' (1937) - Un policier
* ''L'innocent'' (1938) - Gregor
* ''La Glu'' (193 ...
as Le président du tribunal (as Henry Nassiet)
*
Harry-Max
Harry-Max (born Maxime Louis Charles Dichamp; 23 November 1901 – 13 March 1979) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than eighty films from 1938 to 1975.
Filmography
References
External links
*
1901 births
1979 deaths
...
as Moulard (as Harry Max)
*
Pierre Maguelon
Pierre Maguelon (3 September 1933 – 10 July 2010) was a French actor.
Selected filmography
* ''Tire-au-flanc 62'' (1960)
* '' The President'' (1961) - Un parlementaire (uncredited)
* ''Cartouche'' (1962) - Un complice de Cartouche (uncredited ...
as Le gardien
*
Luc Ponette as Me Rivette
*
Marius Laurey as Véricel
*
Lucien Barjon
Lucien is a male given name. It is the French form of Luciano or Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of Lucius.
Lucien, Saint Lucien, or Saint-Lucien may also refer to:
People
Given name
* Lucien of Beauvais, Christian saint
*Lucien, a band member ...
as Mauvoisins
*
Michael Lonsdale
Michael Edward Lonsdale-Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes named as Michel Lonsdale, was a French actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is best know ...
as Inspector Bertrand
*
Charles Denner
Charles Denner (29 May 1926 – 10 September 1995) was a French actor born to a Jewish family in Tarnów, Poland. During his 30-year career he worked with some of France's greatest directors of the time, including Louis Malle, Claude Chabrol, ...
as Graziani
*
Katia Tchenko
Katia Tchenko (born 8 May 1947) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 100 films and television shows since 1967. In 1999 she was a member of the jury at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival
The 21st Moscow International F ...
as Graziani's assistant
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Law Breakers
1971 films
1971 drama films
1970s French-language films
French drama films
Films directed by Marcel Carné
Films scored by Michel Colombier
Jacques Brel
1970s French films