''Counter Investigation'' (French: ''Contre-enquête'') is a 1947 French

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

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 ...

directed by Jean Faurez and starring

Lucien Coëdel Lucien Coëdel (1899–1947) was a French film actor. He appeared in the title role in the historical film '' Roger la Honte'' and its sequel '' The Revenge of Roger''.Goble p.311 Coëdel made his screen debut in an uncredited role in Abel Gance' ...

Louis Salou Louis Vincent Goulven Salou (23 April 1902 – 12 October 1948) was a French stage and film actor. Louis was born in Oissel and died in Fontenay-aux-Roses. Selected filmography * ''First Ball'' (1941) * '' The Benefactor'' (1942) * ''Bolero' ...

and

Jany Holt Jany Holt (born Ruxandra Ecaterina Vladescu Olt, 13 May 1909 – 26 October 2005) was a Romanian-born actress, who worked principally in the French cinema. Holt married French actor Marcel Dalio in 1936, divorcing in 1939. In 1940, Holt married ...

.Martin p.76 It was shot at the Studio François 1 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Roger Briaucourt and

René Moulaert René Moulaert (1901–1965) was a Belgian art director who worked on designing stage and film sets.Thys p.316 Selected filmography * '' The Marriage of Mademoiselle Beulemans'' (1932) * ''Strange Inheritance'' (1943) * '' Night Shift'' (1944) ...

Synopsis

A man wrongly accused of

murdering Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

his wife escapes from

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

just before his

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

and goes on the run. He begs the retired

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix ''-ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

Monsieur Charles to launch his own investigation into the crime to uncover the real culprit. He embarks on this mission with the help of his wife Ginette and two former associates.

Cast

as Monsieur Charles *

as Ludovic Bresson dit Paragraphe *

as Ginette *

Maurice Teynac Maurice Teynac (1915–1992) was a French actor. In 1948 he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry. In 1954 he appeared in London's West End in J.B. Priestley's poorly reviewed play '' The White Countess''. Selected filmogr ...

as Serge de Souquières * Abel Jacquin as Alain Marchal *

Paul Frankeur Paul Frankeur (29 June 1905 - 27 October 1974) was a French actor who appeared in films by Jacques Tati (''Jour de fête'') and Luis Buñuel (''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' and ''The Phantom of Liberty''). He was sometimes credited a ...

as Teddy Coffre-Fort * Pierre-Louis as Ouverture-Eclair * Lise Topart as Michèle Marchal * Marguerite Pierry as Tante Brigitte * Gisèle Préville as Odette Marchal *

Marcel André Marcel André (2 January 1885–13 October 1974) was a French film actor.Goble p.87 Selected filmography * ''Si l'empereur savait ça'' (1930) - Albert (Master of the Horse) * ''Soyons gais'' (1930) - Townley * ''Le père célibataire'' (1931) * ...

as Le juge d'instruction Nicolas Fournier * Renée Dennsy as La bonne

References

Bibliography

* Martin, Yves. ''Le cinéma français, 1946-1966: un jeune homme au fil des vagues''. Editions Méréal, 1998.

External links

* 1947 films French crime drama films 1947 crime drama films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Jean Faurez 1940s French films {{1940s-France-film-stub