''Death of a Corrupt Man'' (french: Mort d'un pourri), also known as ''The Twisted Detective'' and ''To Kill a Rat'', is a 1977 French

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 st ...

directed by

Georges Lautner Georges Lautner (; 24 January 1926 – 22 November 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter, known primarily for his comedies created in collaboration with screenwriter Michel Audiard. Lautner's ventures into other genres were less ...

and starring Alain Delon. The film is based on the novel by Raf Vallet.

Cast

* Alain Delon as Xavier 'Xav' Maréchal *

Ornella Muti Ornella Muti (born Francesca Romana Rivelli; 9 March 1955) is an Italian actress. She made her film debut as Francesca Cimarosa in the 1970 film ''La moglie più bella.'' Early life Muti was born in Rome to a Neapolitan journalist father and ...

as Valérie *

Stéphane Audran Stéphane Audran (born Colette Suzanne Dacheville; 8 November 1932 – 27 March 2018) was a French actress. She was known for her performances in award-winning films such as ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' (1972) and ''Babette's Feast'' ...

as Christiane * Mireille Darc as Françoise *

Maurice Ronet Maurice Ronet (13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer. Early life Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile Rob ...

as Philippe Dubaye *

Michel Aumont Michel Henri Aumont (15 October 1936 – 28 August 2019) was a French theatre, film, and television actor. Throughout his career, he gained four Molière Awards and nominations for three César Awards. In 2015, he was made Grand Officer of the Na ...

as Commissaire Moreau *

Jean Bouise Jean Bouise (3 June 1929 – 6 July 1989) was a French actor. He was born in Le Havre. In the 1950s he helped to found Théâtre de la Cité, and was a player in the company. He entered films in the 1960s, and played a supporting roles in ...

as Commissaire Pernais *

Daniel Ceccaldi Daniel Ceccaldi (25 July 1927 – 27 March 2003) was a French actor. He was born in Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, France. The mild-mannered Daniel Ceccaldi is famous as Claude Jade's father ''Lucien Darbon'' in François Truffaut's movies ''Stolen Kis ...

as Lucien Lacor *

Julien Guiomar Julien Guiomar (3 May 1928 in Morlaix, Finistère, Brittany – 22 November 2010 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine), was a French film actor. The actor had retired to the Dordogne at Monpazier. The person who incarnated Colonel Vincent in ...

as Fondari * Klaus Kinski as Nicolas Tomski * François Chaumette as Lansac * Xavier Depraz as Marcel * Henri Virlojeux as Paul *

Colette Duval Colette Edwidge Hélène Lejeune (4 July 1898 – 9 September 1979), who wrote under the pseudonym Colette Vivier, was a French author of children’s literature. In 1972 and 1974, she was highly commended as an author of children's literature by t ...

as La secrétaire de Serrano * Carole Lange as La fille du vestiaire * El Kebir as Kébir *

Gérard Hérold Gérard Hérold (Mulhouse, 10 September 1939 - Paris, 19 August 1993) was a French actor, appearing in several films, TV series and on theatre. Biography Gérard Hérold was born in Alsace in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) on 10 September 1935. He studied ...

as Dupaire

Musical score and soundtrack

The

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

was composed and arranged by Philippe Sarde and features saxophonist Stan Getz fronting the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

and the soundtrack album was first released on the French Melba label.Stan Getz discography: 1970's
accessed 28 July 2016

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Yuri German noted, "Film director Georges Lautner, who worked with Philippe Sarde on a dozen films, said that he was always impressed by the composer's ability to find an original musical approach to each picture. This time, Sarde, who always closely follows the editing process, suggested that they needed a strong soloist, preferably a tenor saxophone player, who would serve as a musical counterpart for the actor Alain Delon's famous good looks. Being a perfectionist, he opted for Stan Getz, one of the all-time great tenor saxophonists. Watching Getz's performance, Lautner decided to find a way to put the musician in the picture. He filmed Getz playing the opening theme, "Paris, Cinq Heures du Matin", solo, and it's the saxophonist's silhouette that appears during the credits sequence in the beginning of the film... The soundtrack turned out to be costly, but the director was pleased with the outcome. Sarde's instincts were right—Getz's saxophone gave the soundtrack a lyrical, nostalgic quality—fitting for Alain Delon's quest in the film for the sake of the past, to honor the memory of his dead friend".

Track listing

All compositions by Philippe Sarde. # "Paris, 5 H Du Matin" - 2:38 # "Souvenirs" - 2:05 # "Valérie" - 1:35 # "Les Camions" - 1:30 # "L'Attente" - 1:17 # "Getz O Mania" - 3:07 # "Mort d'un Pourri" - 5:30 # "Montparnasse" - 3:37 # "Cafeteria" - 1:23 # "Les Aveux" - 1:08 # "Rocquencourt" - 1:50 # "Tout est Tranquille" - 1:50

Personnel

* Stan Getz -

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

Andy LaVerne Andy LaVerne (born December 4, 1947) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. Education and musical career Born in New York City, LaVerne studied at Juilliard School of Music, Berklee College, and the New England Conservat ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

* Marcel Azzola -

bandoneon The bandoneon (or bandonion, es, bandoneón) is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, the bandoneon is held be ...

Rick Laird Richard Quentin Laird (February 5, 1941 – July 4, 2021) was an Irish musician, photographer, teacher, and author best known as the bassist and a founding member of the jazz fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra, with which he performed from 1971 to ...

- bass * Billy Hart - drums *Efrain Toro -

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

conducted Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duti ...

by Carlo Savina

References

External links

* {{Stan Getz 1977 films 1977 crime films 1970s French-language films French crime films Films directed by Georges Lautner Films produced by Alain Delon Films with screenplays by Michel Audiard Films scored by Philippe Sarde 1970s French films