This Man Must Die
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
This Man Must Die (Que la bête meure) is a 1969 French / Italian crime drama film directed by Claude Chabrol. The story is based on a 1938 novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, writing as Nicholas Blake, The Beast Must Die.
Plot
Charles Thénier's nine year old son is run over by a reckless driver. He vows to have his revenge, yet the police investigation is fruitless. Partly following his hunches and partly by chance he discovers actress Hélène Lanson is the owner of the car. He seduces her under a false name as part of his revenge plan, but loses courage to carry it through as he develops feelings for her.
He finds out shortly after that the real killer is her brother-in-law Paul Decourt, a man detestable even to his own family. While Charles is left with conflicting thoughts as to whether or not kill him, Paul's teenage son, Phillipe, confides in him his own wishes to see his father dead.
Selected cast
- Michel Duchaussoy as Charles Thenier
- Caroline Cellier as Helene Lanson
- Jean Yanne as Paul Decourt
- Anouk Ferjac as Jeanne Decourt
- Marc Di Napoli as Phillippe Decourt
- Louise Chevalier as Madame Levenes
