''Mortelle Randonnée'' is a 1983

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

thriller film inspired by the novel ''Eye of the Beholder'' by

Marc Behm Marc Behm (12 January 1925 in Trenton, New Jersey – 12 July 2007 in Fort-Mahon-Plage, France) was an American novelist, actor, and screenwriter, who lived as an expatriate in France. Behm wrote the script for The Beatles' ''Help!'' (1965) and ...

. Directed by Claude Miller, the film stars Michel Serrault as The "Eye" Beauvoir, Isabelle Adjani as Catherine, and

Geneviève Page Geneviève Page (born Geneviève Bonjean, 13 December 1927) is a French actress with a film career spanning fifty years and also numerous English-speaking film productions. She is the daughter of French art collector Jacques Paul Bonjean (1899– ...

as Mme. Schmidt-Boulanger. The film had a total of 916,868 admissions in France. ''Mortelle Randonnée'' was released in the United States as ''Deadly Circuit'' and in the United Kingdom as ''Deadly Run''. The film was

remade Bas-Lag is the fictional world in which several of English author China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as "thaumaturgy") and steampunk technology exist, and is home to many intelligent races. It is inf ...

in 1999 as '' Eye of the Beholder''.

Plot

The plot revolves around Catherine, a serial killer who seduces men and then murders them throughout countries in Europe. Catherine is trailed by the detective "The Eye" Beauvoir, who fantasizes that she is his long-lost daughter and disposes of her trail of corpses to foil the police. Catherine has a real love affair with a blind architect (

Sami Frey Sami Frey (born Samuel Frei; 13 October 1937) is a French actor of Iranian Jewish descent. Among the films he starred in are '' En compagnie d'Antonin Artaud'' (1993), in which he portrays French poet and playwright Antonin Artaud, and '' Bande ...

) but Beauvoir's jealousy causes the man's death. Catherine returns to her psychotic killing. As the police dragnet closes in, Catherine and Beauvoir have their final showdown.

Cast

* Michel Serrault as Beauvoir * Isabelle Adjani as Catherine Leiris / Lucie Brentano *

as Madame Schmidt-Boulanger *

as Ralph Forbes * Macha Méril as Madeleine *

Patrick Bouchitey Patrick Bouchitey (born 11 August 1946) is a French actor and film director. He has appeared in over 80 films and television shows since 1972. His film '' Cold Moon'' was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Selected filmography * ''L ...

as Michel de Meyerganz *

Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director. Early life Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland ...

as Voragine *

Étienne Chicot Étienne Chicot (5 May 1949 – 7 August 2018) was a French actor and composer.Guy Marchand as The Pale Man * Stéphane Audran as The Grey Lady

Soundtrack

Music for the film was composed by (and traditional tunes arranged by) Carla Bley, performed by The Carla Bley Band.

Reception

The film was commercially unsuccessful, generating only 916,868 admissions in France, but gradually acquired a cult status in its native country. For years, it was shown on the French television in a version cut by 25 minutes. This version was released on DVD in the U.S. by Fox Lorber in 2003. The restored two-hour version was released in France on DVD in 2007, and on Blu-ray in 2016, after which ''L’Express'' said the film "deserves to be rediscovered". ''Télérama'' called it "a black diamond", "the most stylized, the most beautiful, and the most literary of all French thrillers." ''Time Out'' called it "an intriguing thriller" and "a colourful if not altogether successful study in obsession and guilt transference." It also praised the performances and said "Serrault is magnificent, as always." ''TV Guide'' said "Miller inverts the typical cat-and-mouse thriller conventions to produce a treatise on parental loss." Roy Armes wrote: "What is remarkable about ''Mortelle randonnée'' is the extent to which the lushly assured '' mise-en-scène'' and solid technical mastery are applied to a subject which is never remotely convincing or engaging."

References

External links

* * * 1983 films 1980s crime thriller films 1980s psychological thriller films French thriller films Films shot in Belgium French detective films French neo-noir films Films directed by Claude Miller Films based on American novels Films with screenplays by Jacques Audiard Films with screenplays by Michel Audiard French serial killer films 1980s French films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub