Scene of the Crime [Le Lieu du Crime] [Le Crime] ** (1986, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Wadeck Stanczak, Nicolas Giraudi, Victor Lanoux) – Classic Movie Review 9941

French director André Téchiné’s 1986 drama Scene of the Crime [Le Lieu du Crime] [Le Crime] is a dour, sluggish and old-fashioned film about a beautiful cafe owner called Lili Ravenel (Catherine Deneuve) falling for an escaped convict, Martin (Wadeck Stanczak), who saves her 13-year-old son (Nicolas Giraudi) from an attack by the convict’s partner.

Even the solid-gold charm of Deneuve and Danielle Darrieux (as the grand-mother) can’t save the unpersuasive script, though they are effective, along with the rest of the cast, and periodically Téchiné shows flashes of talent and style.

Also in the cast are Victor Lanoux, Claire Nebout, Jean Bousquet (as the grand-father), Jean-Claude Adelin, Michel Grimaud, Philippe Landoulsi, Jacques Nolot and Christine Paolini.

Scene of the Crime [Le Lieu du Crime] is directed by André Téchiné, runs 90 minutes, is made by T Films, Antenne 2 and AMLF, is written by Olivier Assayas, André Téchiné and Pascal Bonitzer, is shot in Eastmancolor by Pascal Marti, is produced by Alain Terzian, and is scored by Philippe Sarde.

The film had an HD restoration in 2018 by Eclair.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9941

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