Francois Gerane is convinced his father, a famous lawyer, has killed his mother. Using as a pretext one of Francois’s small misdeed, Maitre Gerane has the rebellious young man committed to a mental home. Much of Franju’s first feature was shot in an actual asylum. The film is essentially a plea for a more sensible treatment of the mentally ill and the emotionally distressed, calling for much-needed widespread reforms. ‘La tete contre les murs’ is surely the most beautiful French film made since the war, and possibly the most beautiful French film ever made.” Reference: POSITIF, 1/7/1959.
Credits: Producer, Jerome Goulven ; director, Georges Franju ; writers, Jean-Charles Pichon, Jean-Pierre Mocky ; photography, Eugene Schuftan ; music, Maurice Jarre ; assistant director, Jacques Rouffio ; camera assistant, Claude Zidi.
Cast: Jean-Pierre Mocky, Anouk Aimee, Pierre Brasseur, Charles Aznavour, Paul Meurisse, Jean Galland, Edith Scob, Jean Ozenne.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
X000378
Languages
English
French
Subject category
Foreign language films
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)