ThrillerCrimeDrama

The Seventh Juror

- She was the victim...and he was...

In a moment of madness a middle-aged, married and respectable pharmacist kills a young woman who is sun-bathing by a lake. Unable to take in what he has done, he flees from the scene of the crime and behaves as if nothing has happened. Eventually her boyfriend is charged with the crime and, in a strange twist of fate, the killer finds himself serving on the jury.

Release Date : 1962-04-18

Language :French

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Orex Films

Production Country : France

Alternative Titles : The 7th Juror

Cast

Character Name : Grégoire Duval, pharmacist

Original Name : Bernard Blier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor Hess, veterinarian

Original Name : Maurice Biraud

Gender : Male

Character Name : Attorney General

Original Name : Francis Blanche

Gender : Male

Character Name : Geneviève Duval, Grégoire's wife

Original Name : Danièle Delorme

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sylvain Sautral, photographer and accused

Original Name : Jacques Riberolles

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maître Adreux, defense lawyer

Original Name : Yves Barsacq

Gender : Male

Character Name : Medical examiner

Original Name : Henri Crémieux

Gender : Male

Character Name : Garampon, fisherman on his boat

Original Name : Robert Dalban

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alice Moreux, Sylvain's mistress

Original Name : Anne Doat

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Sevestrain, witness at the hearing

Original Name : Madeleine Geoffroy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Catherine Nortier, the victim

Original Name : Françoise Giret

Gender : Female

Character Name : President of the tribunal

Original Name : Camille Guérini

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tax collector

Original Name : Charles Lavialle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Daughter of Gregory and Genevieve

Original Name : Paloma Matta

Gender : Female

Character Name : Henri Souchon, boss of the brewery

Original Name : Raymond Meunier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Souchon, boss of the brasserie

Original Name : Catherine Le Couey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Investigating judge

Original Name : Jacques Monod

Gender : Male

Character Name : Albert Testut, witness at the hearing

Original Name : Jean-Pierre Moutier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police commissioner

Original Name : Albert Rémy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Laurent Duval, son of Grégoire and Geneviève

Original Name : René Tramoni

Gender : Male

Character Name : Philibert, pharmacy employee

Original Name : Jean Sylvère

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cabaret dancer

Original Name : Barbara Brand

Gender : Female

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Grégoire Duval - The Pharmacist - The 7th Juror. Le septième juré (The 7th Juror) is directed by Georges Lautner and adapted to screenplay by Pierre Laroche and Jacques Robert from the Francis Didelot novel. It stars Bernard Blier, Maurice Biraud, Francis Blanche, Danièle Delorme and Jacques Riberolles. Music is by Jean Yatove and cinematography by Maurice Fellous. Horrible Crime Near Pontarlier! Overcome by the sight of a nude lady sunbather, Grégoire Duval (Blier) forces himself upon her and in a panic strangles her to death when she begins to scream. Returning back to his hum-drum existence, Duval is shocked to find the victim's boyfriend charged with her murder on circumstantial evidence. He's even more shocked when he is chosen for jury service on that very trial... Crime of a coward - or a madman? A caustic and potent piece of French cinema, Le septième juré operates on many narrative levels. In parts it's a cracker-jack legal drama, featuring a court case of dramatic verve, while the observations about the sometimes folly of the law is brutally laid bare. At other parts it's a cutting deconstruction of small town mentality, of class distinction and standings, all of which are not favourably portrayed in the slightest. First you must save your soul. Firmly operating in the realm of film noir, the makers produce a clinically atmospheric picture. Georges Lautner opens with an ominous shot of a lone fisherman in his boat, out on a mist covered lake, the accompanying classical music amazingly in sync with the scenes. It's evident from this point we are in for some visual and aural treats. Blier provides a classic noir narration as we move among bohemian architecture, through smoky jazz clubs and clientèle exclusive bars. At night the streets are full of shadows, in daylight there's a muted tone to Maurice Fellous' photography, this is not a happy place to live - unless you be one of the secular bourgeois of course... Othello was misunderstood too. Other imagery strikes hard. A confession box sequence is brilliantly filmed, noir nirvana, a tilted mirror used during a key exchange between husband and wife is astute, and the pièce de résistance that involves grotesque reflections on a brandy glass. Haunting scenes drop in and out, normally involving the tortured Duval staring blankly out at someone, while the court case is a hot-bed of hurt and chaos, even turning to the macabre as the crime is reenacted at the actual murder scene. Lautner also likes pull away movements as well, and so do we! Superbly acted, directed, scored and photographed, this is yet another French film that proves that although the first wave of American film noir had faded cum the start of the 60s, the French were keeping the flame alight well into the decade. From that opening misty lake scene, to the black twist finale that is crowned by a stunning ambulance light sequence, this is black gold cinema. Merry Christmas. 9/10