Doniol-Volcroze was one of the young Turks of the nouvelle vague as well as the eminence grise of "les cahiers du cinema" where Truffaut ,Godard and al cut their teeth .His career was not as famous as theirs and most of his works fell into oblivion with the exception of "la maison des Bories" (1970) which anyway was not "nouvelle vague" at all.

Directing of "La denonciation" ,on the other hand,seems dated today : loose screenplay,weak female characters ,abuse of voice-over ;this abuse is all the more irritating as Maurice Ronet is as good as ever .One of the best thespians of the era (particularly for Malle :"ascenseur pour l'échafaud" and "le feu follet"),he makes these continuous frames of mind redundant.

And the screenplay ,however,was very interesting.Probably influenced by Borges's "theme of the traitor and hero",it features the symmetry dear to the writer.During WW2,when he was a resistant,Ronet's character gave his companions away to the gestapo.During the questioning,a young French teacher acted as interpreter for the German officer and him.After the war,he was regarded as a hero and when he was confronted to the young collaborator,the latter said nothing about what he knew of the resistant's betrayal.But the man could never get over this unbearable memory.And history repeated itself:he was the eyewitness of a murder and he had to denounce somebody again.But his memories came back to haunt him and he did not know what to do.

The movie remains very ambiguous and brings out responsibility without taking sides.The hero's behavior is eminently questionable ,and Ronet is up to scratch for what is a very perilous portrayal.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

The crime genre features criminal activities, investigations, law enforcement, crimes, and the pursuit of justice. Crime stories often revolve around the planning, execution, and consequences of criminal acts, as well as the efforts to solve and prevent such acts. They explore various aspects of criminal behavior, motives, and the moral dilemmas faced by both perpetrators and those seeking to uphold the law.

James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Jean-Louis Trintignant and Françoise Brion in Le coeur battant (1960)

Anicée Alvina in Une femme fatale (1976)

Melina Mercouri and Pierre Vaneck in He Who Must Die (1957)

Anouk Aimée, Robert Forster, Michael York, Dirk Bogarde, and John Vernon in Justine (1969)

Mikheil Gomiashvili and Dachi Orvelashvili in The President (2014)

The Immoral Moment

Photos7

Top Cast30

User reviews2

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed