''Charles, Dead or Alive'' ( French: ''Charles mort ou vif'') is a 1969 Swiss drama film directed by Alain Tanner.

Plot

Produced in reaction to the

Protests of 1968 The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, predominantly characterized by popular rebellions against state militaries and the bureaucracies. In the United States, these protests marked a turning point for the ci ...

, it describes the mid-life crisis of a businessman who decides to drop out of mainstream capitalist life and takes up with couple living a marginal existence on the fringe of society. Meanwhile his daughter has been caught up in a wave of student protest. According to Alison Smith, the Swiss director Tanner translated the

May 1968 events in France Beginning in May 1968, a period of civil unrest occurred throughout France, lasting some seven weeks and punctuated by demonstrations, general strikes, as well as the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of events, which ...

to Switzerland, hoping for a similar upheaval in his own country, and in the film creating an imaginary student revolt in a society that in reality did not experience the turmoil or revolutionary possibility facing France in May 1968.

Cast

* François Simon * Marcel Robert * Marie-Claire Dufour *

Jean-Luc Bideau Jean-Luc Bideau (born 1 October 1940) is a Swiss film actor. Personal life Jean-Luc Bideau is married to Marcela Salivarova, a director of Czechoslovak origin. Together, they have two children: Nicolas, head of Presence Switzerland, and Martin ...

Reception

Awards

1969

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...

*Won:

Golden Leopard The Golden Leopard () is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to be ...

References

External links

* 1970 drama films 1970 films Swiss black-and-white films Films directed by Alain Tanner Golden Leopard winners Swiss drama films 1970s French-language films French-language Swiss films {{Switzerland-film-stub