''The Case Against X'' (French: ''Ouvert contre X'') is a 1952 French

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Richard Pottier Richard Pottier (6 June 1906, Graz – 2 November 1994, Le Plessis-Bouchard) was an Austrian-born French film director. He was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire as Ernst Deutsch. Selected filmography * ''A Rare Bird'' (1935) * ''Fanfare of Love' ...

and starring Yves Deniaud,

Elina Labourdette Elina Labourdette (1919–2014) was a French film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as fil ...

and

Yves Vincent Yves Vincent (5 August 1921 – 6 January 2016) was a French film and television actor. Selected filmography * ''Devil and the Angel'' (1946) - Robert * ''La taverne du poisson couronné'' (1947) - Pierre Astor * '' The Sharks of Gibraltar'' ...

. https://www.unifrance.org/film/2002/ouvert-contre-x It was shot at the

Saint-Maurice Studios Saint-Maurice is the name or part of the name of places. It refers to the legendary Saint Maurice. Canada * Saint-Maurice (Lower Canada), an electoral district 1792–1838 * Saint-Maurice (Province of Canada), an electoral district 1841–1867 * ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and on location in the city. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Lucien Carré Lucien Carré (born 1904) was a French art director Capua p.127 active in the French cinema designing film sets from the late 1920s to the late 1950s. He worked frequently with the director André Hunebelle as well as Julien Duvivier and Anatol ...

Synopsis

A wealthy

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

is murdered at his residence, and suspicion falls on his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

Catherine. The experienced

Chief Inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is use ...

Bonnardel is convinced of her guilt and arrests her, but his younger colleague

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

Richard is less convinced and searches for the real culprit.

Cast

* Yves Deniaud as L'inspecteur-chef Bonnardel *

as Catherine Villard *

as L'inspecteur Richard *

Jean Debucourt Jean Debucourt (19 January 1894 – 22 March 1958) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1920 and 1958. Selected filmography * '' The Little Thing'' (1923) * ''Jean Chouan'' (1926) * ''Madame Récami ...

as Maître Landry *

Marcel André Marcel André (2 January 1885–13 October 1974) was a French film actor.Goble p.87 Selected filmography * ''Si l'empereur savait ça'' (1930) - Albert (Master of the Horse) * ''Soyons gais'' (1930) - Townley * ''Le père célibataire'' (1931) * ...

as Le médecin légiste *

Marie Déa Marie Déa (born Odette Alice Marie Deupès 17 May 1912 – 1 March 1992) was a French actress. She appeared in more than 50 films from 1939 to 1983. She was married to the actor Lucien Nat Lucien Nat (born Lucien Maurice Natte; 11 January ...

as Madame Le Mesles *

Charles Dechamps Charles Dechamps (13 September 1882 – 25 September 1959) was a French stage and film actor. He married the comedian Fernande Albany on 19 November 1925. He died in 1959, and was buried at cimetière du Père-Lachaise. Filmography * 1909: ' ...

as Le juge d'instruction Ferrand *

Marthe Mercadier Marthe Mercadier (23 October 1928 – 15 September 2021) was a French actress. Filmography Awards * In 1974, she was named Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. * In 1989, she won the ''Molière Award'' of the Best Comic Show. * In 2007, she was n ...

as La détenue-manucure *

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 L'industriel Paul Dorgères * María Riquelme as Etiennette - la concierge *

Guy Decomble Guy Decomble (1910–1964) was a French film and television actor. A character actor he played in a number of supporting parts in postwar cinema. One of his better known roles is as the teacher in ''The 400 Blows'' by François Truffaut.Paietta p ...

as Le concierge *

Robert Dalban Robert Dalban (born Gaston Barré; 19 July 1903, in Celles-sur-Belle, Deux-Sèvres – 3 April 1987, in Paris) was a French actor. His work included stage acting, roles in TV shows and dubbing American stars. Moreover, he was a fixture in Frenc ...

as L'inspecteur Sylvestre *

Jean Barrère Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

as Pierre *

Charles Vissières Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

as Le détective Henri Bouteiller *

Marcel Delaître Marcel Delaître (1888–1963) was a French film and stage actor.Crisp p.94 Selected filmography * '' Happy Hearts'' (1932) * '' Poliche'' (1934) * ''Street Without a Name'' (1934) * ''Crime and Punishment'' (1935) * '' Girls of Paris'' (1936) ...

as Le commissaire *

Michel Etcheverry Michel Etcheverry (16 December 1919 – 30 March 1999) was a French actor. First a teacher, he was fired in 1941 for refusing to make the Maréchal children sing, here we come! . He began his career in the theater as a stage manager, then joined ...

as Bertrand Moal *

Fernand René Fernand is a masculine given name of French name, French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Ba ...

as Le tailleur *

Paul Villé Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

as Le maître d'hôtel *

Julien Maffre Julien may refer to: People * Julien (given name) * Julien (surname) Music * ''Julien'' (opera), a 1913 poème lyrique by Gustave Charpentier * ''Julien'' (album), by Dalida, 1973 * "Julien" (song), by Carly Rae Jepsen, 2019 Places Un ...

as L'hôtelier *

Zélie Yzelle Zélie may refer to: People * Zélie de Lussan, French-American opera singer * Zelie Emerson, American suffragette in England * Zélie Lardé, Salvadoran painter * Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin Louis Martin (22 August 1823 – 2 ...

as La cuisinière *

Madeleine Barbulée Madeleine Barbulée (2 September 1910 – 1 January 2001) was a French film, stage and television actress.''French Cinema in the 1970s: The Echoes of May'' p.265 Selected filmography * ''Métier de fous'' (1948) * '' Les Casse Pieds'' (1948) - ...

as La voisine *

Myriam Bru Myriam Bru (born 20 April 1932, Paris)Some sources cite 1930 as Bru's year of birth. is a French retired actress and the wife of German actor Horst Buchholz, to whom she was married from 1958 until his death in 2003. She appeared in 16 films bet ...

as La nièce *

Jacqueline Huet Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film), ...

as La vendeuse *

Odette Barencey Odette Barencey (20 August 1893 – 4 March 1981) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1927 and 1958. She was married to the actor Marcel Barencey. Selected filmography * '' My Childish Father'' (1930) * ' ...

as Une femme *

Henri Crémieux Henri Crémieux (19 July 1896 – 10 May 1980) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films between 1930 and 1980. Selected filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cremieux, Henri 1896 births 1980 deaths Male ac ...

as Phalempeau *

Nadine Tallier Nadine de Rothschild (née Nadine Nelly Jeannette Lhopitalier; born 18 April 1932) is a French author and former actress. She is the widow of banker Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family. Biography Nadine Lhopitalier ...

as Amélie - la soubrette *

Alfred Adam Alfred Roger Adam (4 April 1908 – 7 May 1982) was a French stage and film character actor, who usually played weak or villainous roles. Selected filmography *''Speedway'' (1929) - Doctor (uncredited) *'' La Kermesse Héroïque'' (1935) - Jose ...

as Le vendeur de boutons

References

Bibliography

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

External links

* 1952 films French crime films 1952 crime films 1950s French-language films Films directed by Richard Pottier French black-and-white films 1950s French films Films shot at Saint-Maurice Studios Gaumont Film Company films Films scored by Marc Lanjean {{1950s-France-film-stub