The Departure

1967 1h 25m FR

👍

6.6

SOLID

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 47★6.4IMDB · 1,117

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young Belgian car nut and hairdresser's apprentice attempts to get a Porsche by all means for his nearing debut race and meets a girl in the same time.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jean-Pierre Léaud
Marc
Catherine-Isabelle Duport
Michèle
Jacqueline Bir
The Woman
Paul Roland
The Boss
Paul Frère
Self
Leon Dony
Car Salesman
Lucien Charbonnier
Sausage Seller
Georges Aubrey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Writers: Jerzy Skolimowski, Andrzej Kostenko
Languages: French
Countries: Belgium

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

59 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 Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Willy Kurant. 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 Krzysztof Komeda. 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 Bob Wade 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

Jean-Pierre Léaud and Catherine-Isabelle Duport and Jacqueline Bir carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0061605 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jerzy Skolimowski directs. Willy Kurant behind the camera. Krzysztof Komeda scores. Bob Wade cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Belgium. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
259 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Willy Kurant. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Krzysztof Komeda. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Bob Wade shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean-Pierre Léaud and Catherine-Isabelle Duport and Jacqueline Bir carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0061605 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Willy Kurant
Original score: Krzysztof Komeda
Editing: Bob Wade
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Departure (1967)
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 1,117 votes

Awards

2 wins

Golden Bear

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Jerzy Skolimowski

Community reviews

What people are saying

hand2a2025-01-22
★ 7/10
A film that never stops to breathe, when perhaps it should. Lots of striking imagery. I especially loved all the various shots of cars, especially the half car. Léaud’s character is mental and he plays it very well. Also an amazing title sequence 3.5/5

Production companies