Loosely based on Honoré de Balzac's 1830s novel 'L'Histoire des
Treize', this film recounts the exploits of a secret society consisting
of thirteen men, transposed to Paris in 1970. Several individuals
and groups of individuals who have no obvious connection are presented
to us. We overhear snatches of conversations that merely add to
the mystery. Finally, it emerges that these are all pieces in a
jigsaw puzzle, each having a connection to the mysterious secret
society...
Science-fiction came into its own in B-movies of the 1950s, but it remains a respected and popular genre, bursting into the mainstream in the late 1970s.
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.