Witness in the City
1959 · Movie · 86 min. · France
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.
Direction Edouard Molinaro
Cast Lino Ventura · Sandra Milo · Franco Fabrizi · Jacques Berthier · Daniel Ceccaldi · Robert Dalban · Jacques Jouanneau · Micheline Luccioni · Ginette Pigeon
Soundtrack Barney Wilen
Screenplay Edouard Molinaro · Gérard Oury · Alain Poiré · André Tabet · Georges Tabet · Pierre Boileau · Thomas Narcejac
Cinematography Henri Decaë
Original title Un témoin dans la ville
6.9
57 votes (FilmAffinity)
Add to lists
Share