Before the Deluge
The title of this French "reality" drama, which translates to Before the Deluge, is a play on Louis XVI's famous prognostication, "Apres moi, le deluge." Set in 1950, the film concentrates on five Parisian adolescents. Certain that the next war will herald the apocalypse, the youngster make plans to run off to a desert island and set up a new society. This, however, will require money, which is why the boys decide to pull off a "necessary" robbery. Idealism collapses in the face of cold reality, as the five youths suffer from the consequences of their actions. Avant le Deluge was one of a group of films cowritten by director Andre Cayatte and Charles Spaak which endeavored to explore the touchy social issues of the day: others in the Cayatte-Spaak canon include the euthanasia-themed Justice est Faite and the capital-punishment tract Nous sommes tous des assassins.
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Top Cast
Antoine Balpêtré
Albert Dutoit
Paul Bisciglia
Jean-Jacques Noblet
Bernard Blier
Marcel Noblet
Marina Vlady
Liliane Noblet
Jacques Chabassol
Jean Arnaud
Clément Thierry
Philippe Boussard
Jacques Fayet
Richard Dutoit
Roger Coggio
Daniel Epstein
Jacques Castelot
Serge de Montesson
Léonce Corne
Le commissaire Auvain
Paul Frankeur
Monsieur Boussard
Isa Miranda
Françoise Boussard
Carlo Ninchi
Le président du tribunal
Delia Scala
Josette
Line Noro
Madame Arnaud
Albert Rémy
Le garçon de café
André Valmy
L'autre inspecteur de police
Julien Verdier
Le veilleur de nuit
Maria Zanoli
Madame Dutoit
Marcel Pérès
l'inspecteur Malingué
Crew
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