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Witness in the City

6.9

91

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Original title

Un témoin dans la ville

Year

1959

Running time

86 min.

Country

France

Director

Edouard Molinaro

Screenwriter

Edouard Molinaro, Gérard Oury, Alain Poiré, André Tabet, Georges Tabet. Novel: Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac

Cast

Music

Barney Wilen

Cinematography

Henri Decaë (B&W)

Producer

Co-production France-Italy;

Franco London Films, Paris Union Films, Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG), Tempo Film, Zabra Films

Genre

Thriller. Drama | Crime

Synopsis

Excellent, very entertaining cat-and-mouse thriller, as an avenging husband (the incomparable Lino Ventura) tries to kill a witness to a murder. In its spare monochrome Decae photography, cool jazz soundtrack, nocturnal settings, focus on elaborate plot mechanics, and privileging of an unlovely outsider, the film is reminiscent of Melville. The 'villain' is only responding to a vicious circle of transgression and injustice, and his plight becomes an allegory for the lonely outsider locked out of a conformist society. The rigorous purity of Melville's aesthetic is softened by romance and comedy, but these only intensify the sense of impending tragedy.

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User history

Witness in the City

1959

Edouard Molinaro

6.9

(91)