''We Are All Murderers'' (french: Nous sommes tous des assassins, also known as ''Are We All Murderers?'') is a 1952

French film French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary influ ...

written and directed by

André Cayatte André Cayatte (3 February 1909, in Carcassonne – 6 February 1989, in Paris) was a French filmmaker, writer and lawyer, who became known for his films centering on themes of crime, justice, and moral responsibility. Cayatte began his directoral ...

, a former attorney. It tells the story of René, a young man from the slums, trained by the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to kill Germans. He continues to kill long after the war has ended, as it is all he knows. It was entered into the

1952 Cannes Film Festival The 5th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1952. As in the previous three festivals, the entire jury of this festival was made up of French persons, with Maurice Genevoix as the Jury President. The Grand Prix of the Festival w ...

and won the Special Jury Prize.

Plot

René Le Guen (

Marcel Mouloudji Marcel André Mouloudji (16 September 1922 – 14 June 1994) was a French singer and actor who was born in Paris and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He sang songs written by Boris Vian and Jacques Prévert. Personal life Mouloudji was born to Algeria ...

) is a former resistance fighter trained as a young man as a professional killer. After World War II, he has no qualms in applying these skills and is arrested for murder. Convicted and condemned to death, he is held in a prison cell with other murderers sentenced to death. Men to be guillotined are taken out at night, so they wait in fear and only sleep after dawn. While Le Guen's lawyer (

Claude Laydu Claude Laydu (; 10 March 1927 – 29 July 2011) was a Belgian-born Swiss actor on stage and in films. He was renowned for his performance in his film debut in the role of the young priest in Robert Bresson's '' Diary of a Country Priest'' (1951 ...

) tries to achieve a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

for his client, three of Le Guen's fellow inmates are executed, one by one, in the course of the film. Cayatte used his films to reveal the inequities and injustice of the French system, and protested against capital punishment.

Cast

- René Le Guen *

Raymond Pellegrin Raymond Pellegrin (1 January 1925 – 14 October 2007) was a French actor. Born in Nice, Pellegrin made his screen debut in the 1945 French feature '' Naïs''. He was also famous in France for dubbing Jean Marais for the voice of Fantômas ...

- Gino Bollini * Antoine Balpêtré - Dr. Albert Dutoit *

Julien Verdier Julien Verdier (13 January 1910 - 15 July 1999) was a French actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1949 to 1994. Filmography References External links * 1910 births 1999 deaths French male film actors {{Fran ...

- Bauchet *

- Philippe Arnaud *

Georges Poujouly Georges Poujouly (20 January 1940 in Garches, Hauts-de-Seine – 28 October 2000 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne) was a French actor who gained international acclaim as a child for his performance in the award-winning film ''Forbidden Games''. I ...

- Michel Le Guen *

Jacqueline Pierreux Jacqueline Pierreux (15 January 1923 – 10 March 2005) was a French film and television actress.Philip Mosley p.105 From the early 1970s onwards she also enjoyed success as a producer. She was the wife of screenwriter Pierre Léaud and the moth ...

- Yvonne Le Guen (version française) *

Lucien Nat Lucien Nat (born Lucien Maurice Natte; 11 January 1895 – 25 July 1972) was a French film, stage and television actor.McCann p.95 He was married to the actress Marie Déa. Selected filmography * ''Fun in the Barracks'' (1932) - Maréchal des L ...

- L'avocat général *

Louis Arbessier Louis Arbessier (9 April 190723 March 1998) was a French film and television actor.Goble p.122 He played Napoleon III in the 1952 musical film '' Imperial Violets.'' Amongst his television roles was that of Maigret. Arbessier was married and di ...

- L'avocat du tribunal pour enfants *

René Blancard René Blancard (12 March 1897 – 5 November 1965) was a French film actor. He appeared in 80 films between 1922 and 1965. Selected filmography * '' The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) - Bras-Rouge * ''Montmartre'' (1925) - Frédéric Charanç ...

- Albert Pichon *

Léonce Corne Léonce Charles Corne (18 March 1894 – 31 December 1977) was a French film actor. He appeared in 120 films between 1931 and 1974. Selected filmography * ''The Girl and the Boy'' (1931) * ''Luck'' (1931) * ''The Premature Father'' (1933) ...

- Le colonel instructeur *

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 ...

- L'avocat de Bauchet *

Jean Daurand Jean Daurand (1913–1989) was a French actor. He starred in ''La Nuit Merveilleuse'' and ''Derrière la Facade''. Selected filmography * ''Rothchild'' (1933) * ''Le secret d'une nuit'' (1934) * ''Pension Mimosas'' (1935) - Un groom (uncredit ...

- Girard, l'homme dans la cabine téléphonique *

Yvonne de Bray Yvonne de Bray (12 May 1889 – 1 February 1954) was a French stage and film actress. She was born Yvonne Laurence Blanche de Bray in Paris and died there. In 1939, she and her partner Violette Morris invited Jean Cocteau to stay with them a ...

- La chiffonnière * Guy Decomble - Un inspecteur *

Liliane Maigné Liliane Maigné (1 March 1928 – 20 December 2004) was a French actress. Biography Liliane Maigné was born 1 March 1928. Her father was André Maigné (1903–1936), her mother Madeleine Paroissien (1908–1983). She married Jean-Charles Tacche ...

– Rachel

Honors

It won the Special Jury Prize at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 1952.

References

External links

* 1952 films French black-and-white films 1952 drama films Films directed by André Cayatte French drama films 1950s French-language films 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub