The Man Who Sleeps

"Just to wait until there is nothing left to wait for."

1974 1h 18m FR

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 146

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young student decides to have no more interaction with the world than is needed to minimally sustain life. His increasingly automaton-like behavior is coupled with a strange clarity of insight about the world around him.

“Just to wait until there is nothing left to wait for.”

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Cast

Jacques Spiesser
Man
Ludmila Mikaël
Narrator

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bernard Queysanne
Writers: Georges Perec, Georges Perec
Languages: French
Countries: France, Tunisia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Tunisia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bernard Queysanne, shot by Bernard Zitzermann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Agnès Molinard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jacques Spiesser and Ludmila Mikaël carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Just to wait until there is nothing left to wait for.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bernard Queysanne directs. Bernard Zitzermann behind the camera. Agnès Molinard cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Tunisia. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
252 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Tunisia.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Bernard Queysanne, shot by Bernard Zitzermann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Agnès Molinard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jacques Spiesser and Ludmila Mikaël carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Just to wait until there is nothing left to wait for.".
9IMDB entry: tt0192718 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.