Directed by:
Costa-GavrasCinematography:
Jean TournierComposer:
Michel MagneCast:
Bruno Cremer, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michel Piccoli, Charles Vanel, Claude Brasseur, Gérard Blain, Albert Rémy, Jacques Perrin, François Périer, Michel Creton (more)Plots(1)
Before cementing his status as a global synonym for mainstream leftwing political filmmaking in the late 20th century, Costa-Gavras graced France, his second homeland, with the fearsome partisan thriller 1 homme de trop. Costa-Gavras had a personal stake in choosing the subject matter. His father was a member of the Greek resistance during World War II, and the family’s communist past played a role in young Konstantinos’ relocation to France. Based on the novel by Jean-Pierre Chabrol – he too a veteran communist resistance fighter and member of the FTP (Francs-Tireurs et Partisans) – 1 homme de trop tells a tale of a ragtag group of countryside fighters who alternately sow chaos amongst the occupying forces and simply try to survive. The explosive and almost non-stop action is underpinned by a complex, ever-developing moral dilemma. One member of the group, “one man too many”, played with quiet gusto by Michel Piccoli, who the group happens to liberate from prison early on in the film, might not be who he claims he is. Suspicions quickly escalate into accusations, and accusations become repercussions, although the fury of the battlefield will quickly disperse all doubts. At the time of 1 homme de trop’s US release, the New York Times called the last shot “curiously antiseptic”, but Costa-Gavras was simply ahead of his time, crafting a visually and morally breathless conclusion that has to be seen to be believed. (Viennale)
(more)Cast
Bruno Cremer
France
Best movies:
Une robe noire pour un tueur (1981)
When a Woman Meddles (1957)
The Octopus (1984) (series)
Jean-Claude Brialy
France
Best movies:
Le Glaive et la balance (1963)
The 400 Blows (1959)
Holy Year (1976)
Michel Piccoli
France
Best movies:
Un amour de pluie (1974)
May Fools (1990)
Mado (1976)
Charles Vanel
France
Best movies:
The Wages of Fear (1953)
Les Misérables (1934) (series)
In the Name of the Law (1949)
Claude Brasseur
France
Best movies:
The Country I Come From (1956)
Une robe noire pour un tueur (1981)
The Annuity (1972)
Gérard Blain
France
Best movies:
Children of Paradise (1945)
The Cousins (1959)
Le Beau Serge (1958)
Albert Rémy
France
Best movies:
Dialogue with the Carmelites (1960)
The 400 Blows (1959)
Grand Prix (1966)
Jacques Perrin
France
Best movies:
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
The Chorus (2004)
State of Siege (1972)
François Périer
France
Best movies:
The Creation of the World (1957)
No Time for Breakfast (1976)
Nights of Cabiria (1957)
Michel Creton
France
Best movies:
Max and the Junkmen (1971)
Shock Troops (1967)
Beyond Fear (1975)
Maurice Garrel
France
Best movies:
Sundays and Cybele (1962)
The Soft Skin (1964)
The Unvanquished (1964)
Med Hondo
Algeria
Best movies:
Shock Troops (1967)
Masculin Féminin (1966)
Tante Zita (1968)
Patrick Préjean
France
Best movies:
Asterix vs. Caesar (1985)
My Mother's Castle (1990)
The Brain (1969)
Marc Porel
Switzerland
Best movies:
The Sicilian Clan (1969)
Ludwig: The Mad King of Bavaria (1973)
The Violent People (1970)
Pierre Clémenti
France
Best movies:
Ninì Tirabusciò: la donna che inventò la mossa (1970)
Belle de Jour (1967)
The Leopard (1963)
René Lefèvre
France
Best movies:
He Who Must Die (1957)
Shock Troops (1967)
The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
Monique Chaumette
France
Best movies:
The Confession (1970)
A Sunday in the Country (1984)
The Sleeping Car Murder (1965)
Mario David
France
Best movies:
Animal (1977)
The Man from Acapulco (1973)
Oscar (1967)
Michel Modo
France
Best movies:
The Troops of St. Tropez (1964)
Don't Look Now: We're Being Shot At (1966)
My Mother's Castle (1990)
Claude Brosset
France
Best movies:
My New Partner (1984)
Cop or Hood (1979)
R.A.S. (1973)