L'Argent des autres (1978)
Directed by Christian de Chalonge

Drama / Thriller
aka: Other People's Money

Film Review

Abstract picture representing L'Argent des autres (1978)
What goes around, comes around.   At the time L'Argent des autres was made, in the late 1970s, France was reeling from a series of financial and political scandals that would have a lasting and far-reaching impact.  The film itself was based on a novel that was inspired by one of the most infamous fraud cases of the 1960s, the Patrimoine Foncier affair.  Three decades on, the film has a chilling resonance, inviting stark comparisons with the kind of world we now find ourselves in - one where banks and governments are desperately colluding to prop up a capitalist system which, through excessive greed, arrogance and sheer folly, the banks have come spectacularly close to destroying.

L'Argent des autres begins in the manner of a Kafkaesque living nightmare in which an ordinary man named Rainier (played superbly by Jean-Louis Trintignant) goes for a job interview and finds himself on trial for undisclosed failures in his previous post.  This sets the tone for the film brilliantly, showing exactly what forces our hero is up against.  Having lost his job, Rainier is deprived of money and status and becomes a non-person.  He has no hope of defeating those who brought him down, the greed merchants who are safely ensconced within the bastions of a corporate monolith.  The film's bleak portrayal of the power that money confers on those who have it is enough to chill the blood of any spectator.  This is the true face of capitalism - ugly, brutal and soulless, the bitterly acidic distillation of all human vice.

The film clearly deserved to be better known that it is, not just because it remains highly pertinent, but because it is a well-made and highly original piece, with a strong script and even stronger performances.  It was directed by Christian de Chalonge, a man renowned for his distinctive psychological dramas (including the memorably weird L'Alliance (1971)), and features an impressive cast which, in addition to the aforementioned Trintignant, includes such stars as Catherine Deneuve, Michel Serrault and Claude Brasseur.  It won the coveted Prix Louis Delluc in 1978 and Césars in the best film and best director categories in 1979.  Although the film has a blackly comedic edge to it, it is a profoundly disturbing piece - all the more so now that its proximity to our present reality is so frighteningly apparent.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Next Christian de Chalonge film:
Les Quarantièmes rugissants (1982)

Film Synopsis

Henri Rainier has everything a man could want.  A glamorous wife, two beautiful daughters and a well-paid job with a large bank.  Then, one day, his entire world collapses.  In the wake of a high-profile financial scandal, he is summoned into his director's office and accused of negligence.  Rainier has no choice but to resign, but he soon realises that he has been made a scapegoat.  He begins his own investigation in an attempt to clear his name and discover who is responsible for the enormous hole in the bank's finances.  It soon becomes apparent that he is up against a very powerful and dangerous opponent...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Christian de Chalonge
  • Script: Nancy Markham (novel), Pierre Dumayet, Christian de Chalonge
  • Cinematographer: Jean-Louis Picavet
  • Music: Guy Boulanger, Patrice Mestral
  • Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant (Henri Rainier), Catherine Deneuve (Cécile Rainier), Laura Kornbluh (Fille Rainier), Michèle Kornbluh (Fille Rainier), Claude Brasseur (Claude Chevalier d'Aven), Michel Serrault (Miremont), Gérard Séty (De Nully), Jean Leuvrais (Helldorf), François Perrot (Vincent), Umberto Orsini (Blue), Michel Berto (Duval), Francis Lemaire (Torrent), Juliet Berto (Arlette Rivière), Michel Delahaye (L'archiviste Bignon), Liza Braconnier (La secrétaire des archives), Maurice Vallier (Pironneau), Serge Berry (Dérive), Jean-François Dérec (Le jeune homme vidéo), Raymond Bussières (Chevalier d'Aven père), René Bouloc (L'avocat de Chevalier d'Aven)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 105 min
  • Aka: Other People's Money

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