Feature film
Charles, Dead or Alive
Charles mort ou vif
Alain Tanner · 1969
Synopsis
Charles Dé, in his fifties, has inherited from his grandfather a watchmaking factory in Geneva that he runs. Just as the firm celebrates its centenary, he leaves his family and responsibilities without warning. A young bohemian couple he meets by chance, Paul and Adeline, take him in in the countryside. His daughter Marianne, a revolutionary activist, comes to see him there, while his son Pierre, who wants to take his place at the head of the company, has the girl followed by a detective in order to find his father.
Context
The screenplay owes much to the report Tanner had just devoted to May 1968. The film was produced by Groupe 5, with the support of Swiss French-language television; Renato Berta shot it in black and white, Sylvia Bachmann edited it and Jacques Olivier composed the music. François Simon plays Charles, with Marcel Robert, Marie-Claire Dufour, André Schmidt and Maya Simon. It was released in France on 15 January 1970 and was shown again in cinemas there in 2021.
Who it is for
An hour and a half, in black and white. It is as well to know that the title is a wanted notice, and that there is no investigation or suspense behind the phrase.
Prizes and reception
Golden Leopard at Locarno in 1969; it is the film from which the birth of the new Swiss cinema is dated.
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