Based on a true story of pedophilia which was widely talked about at the turn of the century ,it is a deeply moving work which shows how ruthless adamant justice can be.What happened to Alain could happen to anyone .The judge is all the more frightening since he looks nice ;he has got a book of laws in lieu of heart .He makes me think of the magistrate in Dylan's "Percy's song" -"too late too late for his fate it is sealed ,would you kindly leave my office please sir".
The movie owes a great deal to Philippe Torreton ,one of the most brilliant French actors .His emotional commitment to his character is extraordinary and his performance is Cesar caliber:we know from the start he is innocent and we can easily identify with him ,feel his extreme despair :hateful humiliations,insults,death of a mother,estranged from his children who are penned in strangers 'place,depression,several suicide attempts,hunger strike,nothing is spared this distraught man.The true Alain has revealed he had lost everything.This man was punished for something he had never done and it's one of the biggest miscarriages of justice of the last ten years .
The viewers who are looking for brilliant lawyers who will save an innocent in the nick of time will be disappointed:it's the story of a victim of the lack of heart of his fellow men;the judge is asked if he can feel the human side before getting a light reprimand .
André Cayatte ("Les Risques Du Metier") is re-born !We realize today how much we miss his kind of cinema !
Most moving moment:Alain is lying on his bed and singing an old folk song called "Le Galérien" ,with pictures of his family all over his chest...
"Je Me Souviens Ma Mère Disait (...)
On Te Mettra Des CHaînes
T'En Auras Les Reins Brisés
Et Moi J'en Mourrai De Peine"
The movie owes a great deal to Philippe Torreton ,one of the most brilliant French actors .His emotional commitment to his character is extraordinary and his performance is Cesar caliber:we know from the start he is innocent and we can easily identify with him ,feel his extreme despair :hateful humiliations,insults,death of a mother,estranged from his children who are penned in strangers 'place,depression,several suicide attempts,hunger strike,nothing is spared this distraught man.The true Alain has revealed he had lost everything.This man was punished for something he had never done and it's one of the biggest miscarriages of justice of the last ten years .
The viewers who are looking for brilliant lawyers who will save an innocent in the nick of time will be disappointed:it's the story of a victim of the lack of heart of his fellow men;the judge is asked if he can feel the human side before getting a light reprimand .
André Cayatte ("Les Risques Du Metier") is re-born !We realize today how much we miss his kind of cinema !
Most moving moment:Alain is lying on his bed and singing an old folk song called "Le Galérien" ,with pictures of his family all over his chest...
"Je Me Souviens Ma Mère Disait (...)
On Te Mettra Des CHaînes
T'En Auras Les Reins Brisés
Et Moi J'en Mourrai De Peine"