Excellent film-maker André Cayatte is not the only one to take a swipe at the French judicial system and I consider this film of Georges Lautner to be the equal of Cayatte's 'Justice est faite' and 'Les Bonnes Causes' of Christian-Jaque.
Furthermore, it is arguably Lautner's finest film(sincere apologies to devotees of 'Les Tontons Flingueurs')
Francis Didelot had a short career as a lawyer and being descended on his mother's side from Edgar Allan Poe(!) he seemed fated to become a writer of detective fiction. He had already shown his unique imagination in 'Le Monde Tremblera', filmed by Richard Pottier in 1939 but 'The Seventh Juror' is generally regarded as his greatest.
This tale concerns Gregoire Duval who has committed a murder in a moment of madness and is fated to be a member of the jury at the trial of a man wrongly accused of the murder. What is really on trial here is human nature with its prejudice, hypocrisy, double standards and the overriding desire to maintain the status quo.
Even though Gregoire confesses to his wife and the investigating police officer, they will go to any lengths to conceal his guilt so as to save face and reputation.
Jacques Robert's excellent adaptation presents us with a gallery of wonderfully drawn characters superbly played by all. Daniele Delorme is mesmerising as Madame Duval whilst Albert Remy is smugness personified as the detective. The voice of morality crying in the wilderness is that of Maurice Biraud as a veterinarian. No one plays Everyman as well as Bernard Blier whose psychological penetration as Duval is aided by the device of the 'interior monologue'. His performance is stupendous.
Lautner has again used his favoured cinematographer Maurice Fellous to great effect and there is a good score by Jean Yatove with excellent use made of Vivaldi in the opening sequences.
There are films that slowly insinuate themselves but this one grabs you from the outset and never relaxes its grip.
This is superlative film-making and fully deserves dix sur dix.
Furthermore, it is arguably Lautner's finest film(sincere apologies to devotees of 'Les Tontons Flingueurs')
Francis Didelot had a short career as a lawyer and being descended on his mother's side from Edgar Allan Poe(!) he seemed fated to become a writer of detective fiction. He had already shown his unique imagination in 'Le Monde Tremblera', filmed by Richard Pottier in 1939 but 'The Seventh Juror' is generally regarded as his greatest.
This tale concerns Gregoire Duval who has committed a murder in a moment of madness and is fated to be a member of the jury at the trial of a man wrongly accused of the murder. What is really on trial here is human nature with its prejudice, hypocrisy, double standards and the overriding desire to maintain the status quo.
Even though Gregoire confesses to his wife and the investigating police officer, they will go to any lengths to conceal his guilt so as to save face and reputation.
Jacques Robert's excellent adaptation presents us with a gallery of wonderfully drawn characters superbly played by all. Daniele Delorme is mesmerising as Madame Duval whilst Albert Remy is smugness personified as the detective. The voice of morality crying in the wilderness is that of Maurice Biraud as a veterinarian. No one plays Everyman as well as Bernard Blier whose psychological penetration as Duval is aided by the device of the 'interior monologue'. His performance is stupendous.
Lautner has again used his favoured cinematographer Maurice Fellous to great effect and there is a good score by Jean Yatove with excellent use made of Vivaldi in the opening sequences.
There are films that slowly insinuate themselves but this one grabs you from the outset and never relaxes its grip.
This is superlative film-making and fully deserves dix sur dix.