Sursis pour un vivant (1959)
Directed by Víctor Merenda, Ottorino Franco Bertolini

Film Review

Whilst its plot may look like a twisted revision of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians, Sursis pour un vivant is in fact an adaptation of a short story by André Maurois entitled Thanatos Palace Hotel, scripted by none other than Frédéric Dard, one of France's most popular crime writers.  As ludicrous as the plot is (you need to have an IQ in the low teens to be able to take any of it seriously), it's an eerily atmospheric film, which is made all the more scary by an uncharacteristically sinister performance from Lino Ventura, who combines his customary avuncular charm with more than a touch of Norman Bates menace.

Ventura's craftily ambiguous portrayal of evil is what makes the film so fascinating and elevates it above the standard of your average thriller mystery.  Sursis pour un vivant (a.k.a. Pensione Edelweiss) was the second of only two films directed by Víctor Merenda, who does little to distinguish himself other than to craft a compelling little thriller that makes the most of its incredible storyline.  Now that 'assisted dying clinics' are a bona fide reality the film is probably more plausible today than when it was first seen, and, as a consequence, somewhat more spine-chilling. 

The casting of Henri Vidal in the lead role - a writer who willingly checks into a suicide clinic - is ironic, as the actor was suffering from severe depression at the time and died, nine months after the film's release, from a heart attack that may have been brought on by narcotics abuse.  The unmistakable world-weariness that colours Vidal's performance is poignantly authentic and adds a touch of realism the film desperately needs, but Vidal's contribution is somewhat undermined by a routine script and his pairing with a highly unsympathetic Dawn Addams.  Sursis pour un vivant is not a great film but it is strangely compelling and delivers an extremely effective pay-off, even if it does strain credibility to breaking point.  In any case, it's worth watching for Ventura's performance alone - quietly malignant yet carrying an unmistakable aura of the mortuary, it is the stuff of nightmares.

Film Synopsis

Not long after Jean Monnier, a successful writer, narrowly escapes death in a car accident he is visited in hospital by a man who offers him an unusual service.  For a substantial fee, Monnier will be taken to a pleasant alpine retreat, where his life will be terminated in the most agreeable manner possible.  Intrigued, Monnier signs a contract and soon finds himself checking into the Pension Edelweiss, where he meets six other willing suicides and the mysterious owner of the establishment, Monsieur Borcher.  Whenever the latter plays a particular air on the piano, one of the seven boarders will die a short while afterwards.  Monnier's suspicion that this is some kind of elaborate hoax is dispelled when, one by one, his fellow guests begin disappearing.  One of Borcher's clients, Nadia, decides that she no longer wants to die and coerces Monnier into helping her escape before her time comes.  Regrettably, Borcher is adamant that no one who enters the Pension Edelweiss will leave it alive...