''The Clockmaker'' (, also known as ''The Clockmaker of St. Paul'' and ''The Watchmaker of St. Paul'') is a
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
French crime
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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier (; 25 April 1941 – 25 March 2021) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Life and career
Tavernier was born in Lyon, France, the son of Geneviève (née Dumond) and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, ...
, his feature film debut. Based on the 1954 novel ''
L'Horloger d'Everton'' by
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...
, it tells the story of a widowed father who first discovers how little he knows about his teenage son, who kills a man and with his girl goes on the run, but then decides that whatever their faults he will stand by the pair.
The film was entered into the
24th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the
Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize.
In the United States, it was nominated for
Best Foreign Language Film by the U.S.
National Board of Review
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the film awards season that ...
.
Plot
Respected professionally and socially, the widowed watchmaker Michel Descombes lives peacefully over his shop in Lyons with his teenage son Bernard, who works in a factory. One morning when his son has not come home, which is not unusual, police arrive and take Michel to see their inspector, who gradually breaks the news that the boy has killed a man and fled with a girl called Liliane.
Michel knows nothing of the victim, an unpopular security guard at the factory, or of the girl, who worked there. In shock, he naively tells intrusive journalists whatever they want to hear. Once calmer, he realises he must be on his guard and when two thugs break his windows, he and his assistant beat them up, throwing one in the river. He visits the old woman who looked after Bernard when his mother died and discovers that she is closer to the boy than he is. The inspector, hoping that Michel may lead them to the runaway pair, puts a lot of effort into winning his confidence.
When the police do trace the two to a town in the north, he invites Michel to travel up with him. Arrested, the young people are flown back to Lyon for trial and Michel hires a lawyer, who has his own ideas on defence. It is alleged that the murdered man demanded sex from Liliane or he would frame her for stealing. The inspector also thinks the crime was not premeditated but the court is not convinced, giving Bernard 20 years for murder and Liliane 5 for abetting. Michel visits Bernard in prison to tell him that Liliane is pregnant and that he, with her parents, will look after the child. The two discuss possible names.
Selected cast
*
Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor.
Life and career
Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student a ...
as Michel Descombes
*
Jean Rochefort
Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999.
Life and career
Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to ...
as Insp. Guilboud
*Jacques Denis as Antoine
*
Yves Afonso
Yves Afonso (13 February 1944 – 21 January 2018) was a French actor of Portuguese descent. He was born in Saulieu in the Côte-d'Or ''département''. Since his uncredited debut in the movie '' Masculin, féminin'' in 1966, he had many roles, ...
as Insp. Bricard
*
Julien Bertheau as Edouard
*
Jacques Hilling
Jacques Hilling (26 May 1922 – 16 February 1975) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1949 and 1975.
Selected filmography
* '' Return to Life'' (1949) - Un soldat (segment 4 : "Le retour de René") (uncredit ...
as Costes
*Clotilde Joano as Janine Boitard
*
Andrée Tainsy as Madeleine Fourmet
*William Sabatier as Lawyer
*
Cécile Vassort
Cécile Vassort (born 2 June 1941) is a French film actress. She has starred in 45 films between 1963 and 2001.
Partial filmography
* ''A Woman in White'' (1965) - La jeune mère
* ''Is Paris Burning? (film), Is Paris Burning?'' (1966) - Une j ...
as Martine
*Sylvain Rougerie as Bernard Descombes
*
Christine Pascal
Christine Pascal (29 November 1953 – 30 August 1996) was a French actress, writer, and director known for '' Le Petit Prince a dit'', 1992.
Biography
Born in Lyon, Rhône, Pascal made her film debut at 21 in Michel Mitrani's ''Les Guichets du ...
as Liliane Torrini
References
External links
*
1974 films
1974 crime drama films
Films based on works by Georges Simenon
Films based on Belgian novels
Films set in Lyon
1970s French-language films
Films directed by Bertrand Tavernier
Louis Delluc Prize winners
French crime drama films
Films with screenplays by Jean Aurenche
Films with screenplays by Pierre Bost
Films scored by Philippe Sarde
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winners
1970s French films
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