We Are All Murderers

We Are All Murderers

1952 · 117 min · ★ 6.7 · Crime, Drama

Originally titled Nous Sommes Tout des Assassins, We Are All Murderers was directed by Andre Cayette, a former lawyer who detested France's execution system. Charles Spaak's screenplay makes no attempt to launder the four principal characters (Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoinine Balpetre, Julien Verdeir): never mind the motivations, these are all hardened murderers. Still, the film condemns the sadistic ritual through which these four men are brought to the guillotine. In France, the policy is to never tell the condemned man when the execution will occur--and then to show up without warning and drag the victim kicking and screaming to his doom, without any opportunity to make peace with himself or his Maker. By the end of this harrowing film, the audience feels as dehumanized as the four "protagonists." We Are All Murderers was roundly roasted by the French law enforcement establishment, but it won a special jury prize at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.

Directed by André Cayatte · Written by Charles Spaak

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Cast

Marcel Mouloudji René Le Guen
Raymond Pellegrin Gino Bollini
Antoine Balpêtré Dr. Albert Dutoit
Julien Verdier Bauchet
Claude Laydu Philippe Arnaud
Georges Poujouly Michel Le Guen
Jacqueline Pierreux Yvonne Le Guen (version française)
Lucien Nat L'avocat général
Louis Arbessier L'avocat du tribunal pour enfants
René Blancard Albert Pichon
Léonce Corne Le colonel instructeur
Henri Crémieux L'avocat de Bauchet

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