The Bellman

The Bellman

1945 · 100 min · ★ 6.9 · Drama, Crime, Horror

The bell ringer at a way station in the French Alps, murders a passing horse trader with a thrown rock and relieves him of his bankroll, in order to bribe the daughter of his only friend, a head injury victim considered the village simpleton, into marrying him, despite her love for a lowly woodsman who is, in turn, being cajoled into marriage by the daughter of the wealthy innkeeper.

Directed by Christian-Jaque · Written by Jacques Prévert

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 10m together

The Bellman

Josette

Both from Christian-Jaque.

More from Christian-JaqueSee all →

Sacré LéonceSacré Léonce · 1936
Sacré Léonce
10.01936
Movie
Léonce Vavin, an entomologist, marries Cecile Debienne, but the parents of the bride quickly realize that he's not just ugly but also a complete ignorant of all sexual matters.
La Nouvelle Malle des IndesLa Nouvelle Malle des Indes · 1982
La Nouvelle Malle des Indes
9.31982
SeriesAction & Adventure
A young English navy lieutenant sets out to prove that the quickest way to reach India from London is by way of the Mediterranean and Suez rather than the long sea route around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, which takes six months. With his friend, French explorer and natural scientist Martial de Sassenage, Thomas Waghorn leaves London in October 1829 with the aim of reaching Bombay in India in three months. The owner of a shipping line fears for his company's future should the two adventurers succeed, so he sends his agents to delay them along their way.
Achtung ZollAchtung Zoll · 1980
Achtung Zoll
9.01980
SeriesCrimeAction & Adventure
CarmenCarmen · 1944
Carmen
8.01944
MovieDramaMusic
Carmen is a French-Italian musical drama film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Viviane Romance, Jean Marais, and Lucien Coëdel. It is a version of the famous opera. It was filmed in two versions, French and Italian, with the same screen cast but some different crew, and with Italian voices dubbed in on the Italian version, which have been munged together at IMDb. A third version, with English dubbed under the direction of British actor Noel Howlett, was made subsequently using one of the two (French or Italian) originals for the visual source.
À vous de jouer MilordÀ vous de jouer Milord · 1974
À vous de jouer Milord
8.01974
SeriesAction & Adventure
This French spy story presented in comic book style was broadcasted on TV on November 1974. It tells the adventures of Hubert de Pomarec (Henri Piégay), alias “Milord”, a retired spy called back into service to foil the abduction of the new army tank AMX 30 by a gang of crooks.
L'Homme de SuezL'Homme de Suez · 1984
L'Homme de Suez
7.71984
SeriesAction & Adventure
The plan to build a large shipping canal between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea had been around for a long time. But it took a man with the drive of Ferdinand de Lesseps to make it happen.
BluebeardBluebeard · 1951
Bluebeard
7.51951
MovieFantasyComedy
"Bluebeard" (German: "Blaubart") is a 1951 black comedy film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Hans Albers, Cécile Aubry and Fritz Kortner. Based on the fairy tale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault, it was a co-production between West Germany, France and Switzerland. It was made using the Gevacolor process. A separate French-language version, "Barbe-Bleue", was also made.
The Law Is the LawThe Law Is the Law · 1958
The Law Is the Law
7.21958
MovieComedy
Assola is an imaginary village on the border between Italy and France and the borderline crosses the village itself. The French customs agent Ferdinand is always trying to catch the Italian smuggler Giuseppe. Giuseppe discovers that Ferdinand was actually born in Italy and therefore he can't be a French customs agent.
Wooden CrossesWooden Crosses · 1932
Wooden Crosses
7.11932
MovieDramaWar
The young and patriotic student Demachy joins the French army in 1914 to defend his country. But he and his comrades soon experience the terrifying, endless trench war in Champagne, where more and more wooden crosses have to be erected for this cannon fodder.
JosetteJosette · 1937
Josette
7.01937
MovieDramaComedy
Albert Durandal is unable to keep a job for more than a few days. The reason: he hums while working, which invariably irritates his superiors. He is not hired as a singer for all that, as no music producer is prepared to bet on him. At the moment he is as free as a (singing) bird and accepts to take care of Josette, the little daughter of Jeanne, his neighbor, who is sick and has to go to a sanitarium. One day, while walking down the street, he helps an old man who has an attack. The latter happens to be an influential millionaire. And with a heart of gold into the bargain : he helps Albert to make it in the singing career. And as Jeanne has recovered, he can marry her and adopt Josette.
the famous escapesthe famous escapes · 1972
the famous escapes
7.01972
SeriesDocumentary
From Bonaparte to Casanova, history is cast in the light of famous escapes from various European countries.
S.O.S. fréquence 17S.O.S. fréquence 17 · 1969
S.O.S. fréquence 17
7.01969
Series
Fan-Fan the TulipFan-Fan the Tulip · 1952
Fan-Fan the Tulip
6.71952
MovieRomanceAdventure
Fanfan is a young handsome peasant. He joins the army to escape marriage because a gypsy girl predicted he will get glory and the king's daughter as a wife. But the gypsy girl was in fact Adeline, the daughter of the recruiting officer. Once he has discovered the stratagem, Fanfan refuses to forget this dream and decides to fulfill the destiny of the fake prediction.
NathalieNathalie · 1957
Nathalie
6.61957
MovieComedyMystery
Haute Couture model in Paris becomes involved in the activities of two rival jewel thief gangs.
The Pearls of the CrownThe Pearls of the Crown · 1937
The Pearls of the Crown
6.51937
MovieComedyHistory
The story of the seven pearls of the English Crown, from Henry VIII to 1937 – three of them missing.
The Black TulipThe Black Tulip · 1964
The Black Tulip
6.31964
MovieAdventure
Aristocrat Guillaume de Saint Preux leads a double life as a masked bandit known as the Black Tulip. The Black Tulip only robs rich aristocrats, so the local peasants regard him as a hero. Baron La Mouche is convinced Guillaume is the Tulip. During a robbery, he scars the Tulip's face, and hopes to use this to expose Guillaume, but Guillaume is one step ahead.

More Like This

The HoleThe Hole · 2001
The Hole
6.22001
MovieCrimeDrama
Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.
Romeo + JulietRomeo + Juliet · 1996
Romeo + Juliet
6.81996
MovieDramaRomance
In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
ShaftShaft · 2000
Shaft
6.02000
MovieActionAdventure
New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted -- especially since he's paid a drug kingpin to kill the witness.
Wild at HeartWild at Heart · 1990
Wild at Heart
7.01990
MovieCrimeThriller
Young lovers Sailor and Lula hit the road to start a new life together away from the wrath of Lula’s deranged, disapproving mother, who has hired a team of hitmen to cut the lovers’ surreal honeymoon short.
The Green MileThe Green Mile · 1999
The Green Mile
8.51999
MovieFantasyDrama
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
Reservoir DogsReservoir Dogs · 1992
Reservoir Dogs
8.11992
MovieCrimeThriller
A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel.
Swimming PoolSwimming Pool · 2003
Swimming Pool
6.52003
MovieCrimeThriller
A British crime novelist travels to her publisher's upmarket summer house in Southern France to seek solitude in order to work on her next book. However, the unexpected arrival of the publisher's daughter induces complications and a subsequent crime.
Once Upon a Time in AmericaOnce Upon a Time in America · 1984
Once Upon a Time in America
8.41984
MovieDramaCrime
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof · 1958
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
7.61958
MovieDrama
An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.
ContemptContempt · 1963
Contempt
7.01963
MovieDramaRomance
Art film producer Jeremy Prokosch, unhappy with the work of his director, hires Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of The Odyssey, but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb, he brings in a screenwriter to energise the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.
BatmanBatman · 1989
Batman
7.21989
MovieFantasyAction
Having witnessed his parents' brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne fights crime in Gotham City disguised as Batman, a costumed hero who strikes fear into the hearts of villains. But when a deformed madman known as 'The Joker' seizes control of Gotham's criminal underworld, Batman must face his most ruthless nemesis ever while protecting both his identity and his love interest, reporter Vicki Vale.
The Silence of the LambsThe Silence of the Lambs · 1991
The Silence of the Lambs
8.31991
MovieCrimeThriller
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
FargoFargo · 1996
Fargo
7.81996
MovieCrimeDrama
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
AmadeusAmadeus · 1984
Amadeus
8.01984
MovieDramaHistory
Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Strange DaysStrange Days · 1995
Strange Days
7.01995
MovieCrimeScience Fiction
In the last days of 1999, ex-cop turned street hustler Lenny Nero receives a disc which contains the memories of the murder of a prostitute. With the help of bodyguard Mace, he starts to investigate and is pulled deeper and deeper in a whirl of murder, blackmail and intrigue.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter