''Le Chat'' (, "The Cat") is a 1971 French-language

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 ...

directed by

Pierre Granier-Deferre Pierre Granier-Deferre (27 July 1927 – 16 November 2007) was a French film director and screenwriter His 1971 film ''Le Chat (film), Le Chat'' (The Cat) won the Silver Bear for Best Actor, Best Actor and Silver Bear for Best Actress, B ...

and based on

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

's 1967 novel '' The Cat''. It recounts the story of an elderly married couple, Julien Bouin, a former typographist, and his wife Clemence, who used to perform in a circus, who have been loathing each other for years. They hardly talk to each other in their small house, soon to be demolished. Their only form of communication being occasional notes on scraps of paper. A stray cat being the only one he still gives affection to, the cat becomes the object of Clemence's anger. However, they are soon to understand that they cannot live without each other. The storyline of ''The Cat'' is speculated to have originated from Georges Simenon's difficult relationship with his mother.

Cast

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), ''La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ( ...

as Julien Bouin *

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

as Clémence Bouin *

Annie Cordy Léonie Juliana, Baroness Cooreman (16 June 1928 – 4 September 2020), also known by her stage name Annie Cordy, was a Belgian actress and singer. She appeared in more than 50 films from 1954 and staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coq ...

as Nelly, owner of a Florida hotel *

Jacques Rispal Jacques Rispal (1 August 1923 – 9 February 1986) was a French film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1952 and 1986. Selected filmography * '' Crimson Curtain'' (1952) * ''A Man Named Rocca'' (1961) - (uncredited) * ''Five Miles to ...

as Le docteur / Doctor *

Nicole Desailly Nicole may refer to: People * Nicole (name) * Nicole (American singer) (born 1958), a contestant in season 3 of the American ''The X Factor'' * Nicole (Chilean singer) (born 1977) * Nicole (German singer) (born 1964), winner of the 1982 Eurovi ...

as L'infirmière / Nurse *

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 Le retraité / Retiree * André Rouyer as Le délégué / Delegate *

Carlo Nell Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...

as L'agent immobilier / Real-estate agent *

Yves Barsacq Yves Barsacq (17 June 1931 – 4 October 2015) was a French film actor, who appeared in more than 150 films. He is the son of the French-Russian production designer Léon Barsacq and the nephew of the French theatre director André Barsacq. ...

as L'architecte / Architect * Florence Haguenauer as Germaine * Renate Birgo as La crémière / Dairywoman *

Ermanno Casanova Ermanno is an Italian masculin given name. It is a variant of the name Herman. People bearing the name include: * Ermanno Stradelli (1852–1926), Italian explorer, geographer and photographer * Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876–1948), Italian compo ...

as Le patron du café / Café owner (as Ermano Casanova) * Georges Mansart as Le garçon à la moto / Boy on a motorcycle * Isabel del Río as La fille à la moto / Girl on a motorcycle

Awards

21st Berlin International Film Festival The 21st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 26 June – 6 July 1971. The ''Young Filmmakers Forum'' (in 1987 renamed ''International Forum for New Cinema'') section was introduced at the festival. The Golden Bear was awarded ...

Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress (german: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chos ...

(

- won) **

Silver Bear for Best Actor The Silver Bear for Best Actor (german: Silberner Bär/Bester Darsteller) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by ...

(

- won) **

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

(nominated)

References

External links

* 1971 films 1971 drama films French drama films Italian drama films Films directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre Films scored by Philippe Sarde Films based on works by Georges Simenon Films based on Belgian novels Films about old age Films about suicide 1970s French-language films 1970s French films 1970s Italian films {{1970s-Italy-film-stub