''The Plague'' (original title: ''La Peste'') is a 1992 Argentine-French-British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

written and directed by

Luis Puenzo Luis Adalberto Puenzo (born 19 February 1946) is an Argentine film director, producer and screenplay writer. He works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but has also worked in the United States. Biography Puenzo was born in Buenos Aires in 1946 ...

and starring William Hurt, Sandrine Bonnaire, Robert Duvall and Raul Julia. It is based on the novel ''

La Peste ''The Plague'' (french: La Peste) is a novel by Albert Camus. Published in 1947, it tells the story from the point of view of a narrator of a plague sweeping the French Algerian city of Oran. The narrator remains unknown until the start of the ...

'' by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

. It entered the competition at the

49th Venice International Film Festival The 49th annual Venice International Film Festival was held on 1 to 12 September 1992. Jury The following people comprised the 1992 jury: * Dennis Hopper (head of jury) * Jirí Menzel (head of jury) * Gianni Amelio *Anne Brochet *Neil Jordan * ...

Plot

Set in the 1990s (Camus's novel was set in 1940s), 'The Plague' tells the story of Dr. Bernard Rieux. The film takes place in the city of

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

, where several cases of

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

have been recorded. At first, the authorities want to hide the disease from the population, but the news ends up reaching the citizens. Oran is in quarantine and the army surrounds the entire city, preventing anyone from getting in or getting out.

Cast

* William Hurt as Dr. Bernard Rieux * Sandrine Bonnaire as Martine Rambert * Jean-Marc Barr as Jean Tarrou * Robert Duvall as Joseph Grand * Raul Julia as Cottard * Jorge Luz as Old Man With The Cats * Victoria Tennant as Alicia Rieux * Atilio Veronelli as Dr. Horacio * Francisco Cocuzza as Miguel * Laura Palmucci as Miguel's Wife * Norman Erlich as Dr. Castel * Marcos Woinsky as Dr. Grunewald *

Duilio Marzio Duilio Marzio (November 27, 1923 - July 25, 2013) was a well-known Argentine cinema and theatre actor. Life and work Marzio was born Duilio Bruno Perruccio La Stella in Buenos Aires to Sicilian immigrants, in 1923. He enrolled at the University ...

as Judge Orbon * Pancho Ibáñez as Newscaster *

Horacio Fontova Horacio González Fontova (30 October 1946 – 20 April 2020) was an Argentine actor, singer-songwriter and comedian. He was born in Buenos Aires. He was known for his roles in ''The Plague'' (1992), '' Aballay'' (2011) and ''Underdogs A ...

as Attendant * Bruno Chmelik as Felipe, Judge Orbon's Son * Monica Tozer as Dr. Rieux's Receptionist *

Lautaro Murúa Lautaro Murúa (; 29 December 1926 in Tacna, Chile – 3 December 1995 in Madrid) was a Chilean-Argentine actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is one of the best known actors in the cinema of Argentina. Born in Chile, Murúa moved to ...

as Father Paneloux * Peter McFarlane as Hoese * Lidia Catalano as Sara * Fabiana Uria as Teresa *

Norman Briski Norman Briski (born January 2, 1938) is an Argentine theatre actor, director and playwright, as well as a cinema and television actor. Life and work Naum Normando Briski was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, in 1938. His Jewish Argentine family reloca ...

as The Preacher *

China Zorrilla China Zorrilla (; born Concepción Matilde Zorrilla de San Martín Muñoz; 14 March 1922 – 17 September 2014) was an Uruguayan theater, film, and television actress, also director, producer and writer. An immensely popular star in the Rioplate ...

as Emma Rieux * Juana Hidalgo as Mr. Castel *

Silvina Chediek Silvina Chediek (Buenos Aires, March 1, 1962) is an Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be r ...

as Newscaster * Verónica Llinás as Stripteaser

References

External links

* * 1992 films Argentine drama films French drama films 1992 drama films British drama films Films based on French novels Films based on works by Albert Camus Films about infectious diseases Films directed by Luis Puenzo Films shot in Buenos Aires Films scored by Vangelis English-language Argentine films English-language French films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films 1990s Argentine films 1990s French films {{1990s-Argentina-film-stub