Le septième juré (2008) (TV)

Director:

Edouard Niermans

Writers:

Francis Didelot (novel)
Didier Le Pêcheur (adaptation)

Release Date:

18 January 2008 (Belgium)

Plot:

The action takes place in a typical French town in the early sixties, at the end of the Algerian war...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

7 wins

Cast

Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Grégoire Duval
Isabelle Habiague	...	Geneviève Duval
Pascal Elso	...	Capitaine Valard
Igor Mendjisky	...	Laurent Duval
Eric Naggar	...	Juge Hoppenot
Lahcen Razzoughi	...	Khader Boualam (as Lehcen Razzougui)
Jean-Yves Chatelais	...	Labory
Jacques Bachelier	...	L'avocat général
Philippe Couerre	...	Docteur Marmaont
Yvon Wust	...	Etienne Langeron
Hubert Saint-Macary	...	Docteur Hesse
Jean-Paul Bonnaire	...	Jacques Perruchet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lucy Flamant	...	Marianne Courtry
Laurent Manzoni	...	Marthouret
Alain Moussay	...	Monsieur Courtry
Philippe Ohrel	...	Lucien Morlaix
Olivier Piechaczyk	...	Rambert
Pierre Troestler

Runtime:

France:90 min

Country:

France | Belgium

Language:

French

Filming Locations:

Palais du Rhin, 1,2,3 Place de la République, Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France

Company:

At Productions

Fine "crime & trial" film.

Hypocrisy and higher class conservatism are finely depicted here. If sometimes characters are a bit predictable, the way it's filmed, the reconstruction of the epoch and .

Why are pharmacists always mean? I am thinking of "3 jours en Juin", but there are others as well.

Jean-Pierre Darroussin steals the movie, with his mild mannered neurosis and notorious lack of attributes. And incriminating hobbies (a room/ den of mechanic dolls = striving for control), his puzzles his wife once disarranges when angered because he's just another automate, like his dolls... Nobody listens to him, has a routine family life and his club friends were there only when he agreed with them.

His wife "Geneviève" is probably the weakest character, always thinking about status in a way that we are forced to loathe her, no nuances there. Near the end at least she's got a couple lines that go off the beaten track.

The fact that his son Laurent Duval is like a ghost in the movie is another symptom of his anodyne dysfunctional family. The judge overacts, as the Algerian suspect. Docteur Marmaont is a very likable chap, and L'avocat général deals with his "unsavoury" part convincingly.

My favourite character is Capitaine Valard (Pascal Elso). He's got a long trajectory of good, reliable supporting roles (the TV series "Le cri", Raboliot, Le dominicain in "Galilée" (2005), P.J, Nestor Burma...". In his way, he really cares for Grégoire. When G. asks: "Who is giving me advice, the police officer or the friend" he replies "It's not the copper".

Good language usage, splendid French town life and easy stereotypes make this a very watchable film.