The Passerby

1982 1h 50m FR

😐

6.2

MID

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 43★6.6IMDB · 1,229

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Max Baumstein is a reputable businessman who founded an international organization fighting against violations of human rights. Why would he commit an act that apparently negates the principles he has striven for so long to uphold? As he is tried for first-degree murder for killing a Paraguayan ambassador in cold blood, he reveals a secret about himself that he kept hidden from his wife Lina. His act is the conclusion of a struggle that started many decades earlier in his childhood...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Romy Schneider
Elsa Wiener / Lina Baumstein
Michel Piccoli
Max Baumstein
Helmut Griem
Michel Wiener
Dominique Labourier
Charlotte Maupas
Gérard Klein
Maurice Bouillard
Mathieu Carrière
Ruppert von Leggaert / Federico Logo
Jacques Martin
Marcel
Wendelin Werner
Young Max Baumstein

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jacques Rouffio
Writers: Jacques Rouffio, Jacques Kirsner
Languages: French
Countries: France, Germany

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

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jacques Rouffio, shot by Jean Penzer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Romy Schneider and Michel Piccoli and Helmut Griem carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0084479 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jacques Rouffio directs. Jean Penzer behind the camera. Georges Delerue scores. Anna Ruiz cuts. Produced in France, Germany. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

144 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Germany.
3Directed by Jacques Rouffio, shot by Jean Penzer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Anna Ruiz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Romy Schneider and Michel Piccoli and Helmut Griem carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0084479 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.