L'Homme à l'imperméable
Encyclopedia
The Man in the Raincoat is a French-Italian comedy-thriller film directed by Julien Duvivier
, scripted by the director and René Barjavel
, from the novel Tiger by the Tail
by James Hadley Chase
. It was released in 1957 and shown at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival
in competition for the Golden Bear
. It stars Fernandel
, (with whom Duvivier had made two successful Don Camillo
films earlier in the 1950s), and Bernard Blier
.
), a clarinet player with the orchestra of the Théâtre du Châtelet
finds himself alone for a week. Albert finds it hard to cope, being domestically inept, and his colleague in the orchestra, Émile, (Jean Rigaux), recommends he go to see Éva (Judith Magre). He, himself, sees her from time to time. At first hesitant, Albert goes to see the woman.
So much the worse for Albert. Éva is murdered, while he waits to see her in her living-room. Realising Éva is a prostitute he hurries away, only to read the next day of a murder and reports of a man running away, in a raincoat, from the scene of the crime. He soon finds himself dealing with a blackmailer , a neighbour of the murdered woman, Monsieur Raphaël (Bernard Blier
), and professional killers. And so Albert is overtaken by a series of events that plunge him ever deeper into troubles.
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier was a French film director. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930-1960...
, scripted by the director and René Barjavel
René Barjavel
René Barjavel was a French author, journalist and critic who may have been the first to think of the grandfather paradox in time travel. He was born in Nyons, a town in the Drôme department in southeastern France...
, from the novel Tiger by the Tail
Tiger by the Tail
Tiger by the Tail is a 1955 British crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Larry Parks, Constance Smith and Donald Stewart. It is an adaptation of the novel Never Come Back by John Mair...
by James Hadley Chase
James Hadley Chase
James Hadley Chase is the best-known pseudonym of the British writer Rene Brabazon Raymond who also wrote under the names James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant, and Raymond Marshall. Chase is one of the best known thriller writers of all time...
. It was released in 1957 and shown at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival
7th Berlin International Film Festival
The 7th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 21 to July 2, 1957.-Jury:* Jay Carmody * Jean de Baroncelli* John Sutro* Dalpathal Kothari* Fernaldo Di Giammatteo* Bunzaburo Hayashi* Miguel Alemán hijo...
in competition for the Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
. It stars Fernandel
Fernandel
Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin , better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born in Marseille, France, he was a comedy star who first gained popularity in French vaudeville, operettas, and music-hall revues...
, (with whom Duvivier had made two successful Don Camillo
Don Camillo
Don Camillo is the main character created by the Italian writer and journalist Giovannino Guareschi , and is based on the historical Roman Catholic priest, WW II partisan and detainee of the concentration camps of Dachau and Mauthausen, Don Camillo Valota . Don Camillo is one of two protagonists,...
films earlier in the 1950s), and Bernard Blier
Bernard Blier
Bernard Blier was a French character actor. His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He proved to be one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas...
.
Plot
The wife of Albert Constantin goes to visit her uncle, who is sick. Albert, (FernandelFernandel
Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin , better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born in Marseille, France, he was a comedy star who first gained popularity in French vaudeville, operettas, and music-hall revues...
), a clarinet player with the orchestra of the Théâtre du Châtelet
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...
finds himself alone for a week. Albert finds it hard to cope, being domestically inept, and his colleague in the orchestra, Émile, (Jean Rigaux), recommends he go to see Éva (Judith Magre). He, himself, sees her from time to time. At first hesitant, Albert goes to see the woman.
So much the worse for Albert. Éva is murdered, while he waits to see her in her living-room. Realising Éva is a prostitute he hurries away, only to read the next day of a murder and reports of a man running away, in a raincoat, from the scene of the crime. He soon finds himself dealing with a blackmailer , a neighbour of the murdered woman, Monsieur Raphaël (Bernard Blier
Bernard Blier
Bernard Blier was a French character actor. His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He proved to be one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas...
), and professional killers. And so Albert is overtaken by a series of events that plunge him ever deeper into troubles.
Cast
- FernandelFernandelFernand Joseph Désiré Contandin , better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born in Marseille, France, he was a comedy star who first gained popularity in French vaudeville, operettas, and music-hall revues...
as Albert Constantin, clarinetist - Bernard BlierBernard BlierBernard Blier was a French character actor. His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He proved to be one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas...
as Monsieur Raphaël - Jacques Duby as Maurice Langlois
- Jean Rigaux as Émile Blondeau
- Claude Sylvain as Florence
- Judith Magre as Éva
- John McGiver as O'Brien
- Julien Bertheau as the director