''Just Before Nightfall'' (french: Juste avant la nuit) is a 1971 crime drama film written and directed by
Claude Chabrol, based on the 1951 novel
''The Thin Line'' by
Edward Atiyah. Audran won the
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role at the
27th British Academy Film Awards.
Plot
Charles Masson (
Bouquet), an
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
account executive, is having an affair with Laura (Douking), the wife of his best friend, world-renowned
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
François Tellier (
Périer). Their sex life consists of
sadomasochistic behavior, and in one of their heated sessions, Charles accidentally strangles Laura. Completely confused, Charles leaves the borrowed apartment in Paris and runs into François at a nearby
bistro
A bistro or bistrot , is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods ...
. The two drive back together to
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
, where they have beautiful adjoining houses designed by François. The owner of the apartment had seen Laura and Charles together two months earlier, but she does not tell the police because of François. Even though the police do not seem to have any clues to the crime, Charles has a difficult time coping with the situation, and tries to lead a normal life with his two children and loving wife Hélène (
Audran).
Principal cast
Critical reception
Roger Ebert of ''The
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
'' gave the film 3 1/2 out of 4 stars:
Mike Sutton of ''The Digital Fix'':
See also
*''
The Stranger Within a Woman'' (1966)
References
External links
*
*
{{Claude Chabrol
1971 films
1971 drama films
1970s psychological thriller films
Adultery in films
BDSM in films
Films based on British novels
Films directed by Claude Chabrol
Films shot in France
Films shot in Paris
French drama films
French thriller films
1970s French films