A King Without Distraction

1963 1h 25m FR

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 7

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A policeman and a serial killer play cat and mouse in an isolated mountain village in Nineteenth century France. The second film directed by the man who played the admirable lead role in Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped is a stylized and intense adaptation of a novel by Jean Giono. This police investigation in a 19th century village combines visual beauty with the rigor of the mise-en-scène—the vertigo of the criminal motivations indivisible from the refined graphics of the images.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Claude Giraud
le capitaine Langlois
Colette Renard
Clara
Charles Vanel
le procureur du roi
Albert Rémy
le maire
René Blancard
le curé
Pierre Repp
Ravanel

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: François Leterrier
Writers: Jean Giono
Languages: French
Countries: France

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

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by François Leterrier, shot by Jean Badal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Françoise Javet 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

Claude Giraud and Colette Renard and Charles Vanel carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0057619 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

François Leterrier directs. Jean Badal behind the camera. Maurice Jarre scores. Françoise Javet cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
263 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by François Leterrier, shot by Jean Badal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Françoise Javet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Claude Giraud and Colette Renard and Charles Vanel carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0057619 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.