We Are All Murderers (1952)
Originally titled Nous Sommes Tout des Assassins, We Are All Murderers was directed by Andre Cayette, a former lawyer who detested France's execution system. Charles Spaak's screenplay makes no attempt to launder the four principal characters (Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoinine Balpetre, Julien Verdeir): never mind the motivations, these are all hardened murderers. Still, the film condemns the sadistic ritual through which these four men are brought to the guillotine. In France, the policy is to never tell the condemned man when the execution will occur--and then to show up without warning and drag the victim kicking and screaming to his doom, without any opportunity to make peace with himself or his Maker. By the end of this harrowing film, the audience feels as dehumanized as the four "protagonists." We Are All Murderers was roundly roasted by the French law enforcement establishment, but it won a special jury prize at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Cast
- Marcel Mouloudji - René Le Guen
- Raymond Pellegrin - Gino Bollini
- Antoine Balpêtré - Dr. Albert Dutoit
- Julien Verdier - Bauchet
- Claude Laydu - Philippe Arnaud
- Georges Poujouly - Michel Le Guen
- Jacqueline Pierreux - Yvonne Le Guen (version française)
- Lucien Nat - L'avocat général
- Louis Arbessier - L'avocat du tribunal pour enfants
- René Blancard - Albert Pichon
Screenplay
- André Cayatte (Scenario Writer)
- Charles Spaak
Keywords
capital punishment, social critique
Trailer
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is We Are All Murderers about?
- Originally titled Nous Sommes Tout des Assassins, We Are All Murderers was directed by Andre Cayette, a former lawyer who detested France's execution system. Charles Spaak's screenplay makes no attempt to launder the four principal characters (Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoinine Balpetre, Julien Verdeir): never mind the motivations, these are all hardened murderers. Still, the film condemns the sadistic ritual through which these four men are brought to the guillotine. In France, the policy is to never tell the condemned man when the execution will occur--and then to show up without warning and drag the victim kicking and screaming to his doom, without any opportunity to make peace with himself or his Maker. By the end of this harrowing film, the audience feels as dehumanized as the four "protagonists." We Are All Murderers was roundly roasted by the French law enforcement establishment, but it won a special jury prize at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
- Who directed We Are All Murderers?
- We Are All Murderers was directed by André Cayatte.
- Who stars in We Are All Murderers?
- We Are All Murderers stars Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoine Balpêtré, Julien Verdier, Claude Laydu, Georges Poujouly.
- How long is We Are All Murderers?
- We Are All Murderers has a runtime of 1h 57m (117 minutes).
- What genre is We Are All Murderers?
- We Are All Murderers is a Crime, Drama film.
- Where was We Are All Murderers produced?
- We Are All Murderers was produced in France, Italy.