Deathwatch


1h 28m 1966

Film Details

Genre
Adaptation
Drama
Prison
Release Date
Jan 1966
Premiere Information
San Francisco opening: 20 Jan 1966
Production Company
Deathwatch Co.
Distribution Company
Altura Films International; Beverly Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play Haute surveillance by Jean Genêt (Paris, 26 Jan 1949; trans. by Bernard Frechtman as Deathwatch ; New York.

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 28m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White, Color

Synopsis

Sharing a dank cell in a French prison are Jules LeFranc, a social outcast serving time for a minor theft, and Greeneyes, a convicted murderer awaiting the guillotine. Embarrassed by the pettiness of his offense against a society he detests, Jules openly worships the infamous Greeneyes and longs to be his friend. Greeneyes, an illiterate, passively accepts Jules' adoration and allows him to read and write his letters. In this way, permitted to share the innermost thoughts of his idol, Jules is able to become vicariously the great killer he has always desired to be. Then Maurice, an overt homosexual, is brought into the cell. Unabashed in his courtship of Greeneyes, he caters to his every whim and sexual need. Now the relationships in the cell explode into a violent struggle for love and identity as Jules and Maurice compete for the attention of Greeneyes. Desperate to prove himself worthy of respect, Jules commits murder by strangling Maurice. But his deed earns him nothing but contempt; Greeneyes' crime was one of passion, whereas Jules' was an act of the will. Branded as an outsider in the world of the criminal, Jules is left totally alone.

Film Details

Genre
Adaptation
Drama
Prison
Release Date
Jan 1966
Premiere Information
San Francisco opening: 20 Jan 1966
Production Company
Deathwatch Co.
Distribution Company
Altura Films International; Beverly Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play Haute surveillance by Jean Genêt (Paris, 26 Jan 1949; trans. by Bernard Frechtman as Deathwatch ; New York.

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 28m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White, Color

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1966

Released in United States 1983

Released in United States 1966

Released in United States 1983 (Shown at FILMEX: Los Angeles International Film Exposition (Verna Fields (editor): A Dedication Tribute) April 13 - May 1, 1983.)