The Night Watch
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Jacques Becker
Michel Constantin
Jean Kéraudy
Philippe Leroy
Raymond Meunier
Marc Michel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
At La Santé prison in France, Claude Gaspard awaits trial for the attempted murder of his wife. By French law a man is guilty until proven otherwise. Gaspard is moved into a cell with Roland Darban, Geo Cassid, Manu Borelli, and "Monseigneur," who decide to include him in their escape plan, devised by Roland. Two dummies are constructed to deceive the guards in their nightly check; a hole is dug in the cell floor and covered during daylight hours by cardboard cartons which the prisoners have been assigned to assemble; a piece of mirror and a toothbrush are made into a periscope with which to watch the guards; medicine bottles and sand are fashioned into an hourglass to time the work; and an iron bunk leg is used as a digging implement. Working in shifts by pairs, the men dig into the subterranean areas of the prison, from there into the prison's sewer tunnels, and from there through a 9-foot tunnel into the city's sewer system. On the day the tunnel is completed and the men plan to escape, Gaspard is called to the warden's office. He returns to the cell and announces that his wife has withdrawn her charges. However, he explains that he plans to escape with the others because he still faces a 5-year prison term and succeeds in allaying his cellmates' suspicions. That night, as they are preparing to leave, Geo informs the group that he is not going because his mother's health is at stake. Just then the alarm rings and, as the guards rush into the cell, the men realize that they have been betrayed by Gaspard.
Director
Jacques Becker
Cast
Michel Constantin
Jean Kéraudy
Philippe Leroy
Raymond Meunier
Marc Michel
André Bervil
Eddy Rasimi
Jean-paul Coquelin
Catherine Spaak
Crew
René Albouze
Philippe Arthuys
Jean Aurel
Jean Bareille
Jacques Becker
Jacques Becker
Jean Becker
Sophie Becker
Pierre Calvet
Gilbert Chain
Eorges Charlot
Georges Charlot
Jean Chiabaut
Ghislain Cloquet
Maurice Dagonneau
Jacqueline Dudilleux
José Giovanni
José Giovanni
Odette Laeupplée
Paul Laffargue
François Lauliac
Rino Mondellini
Jean Mottet
Marguerite Renoir
Serge Silberman
Jean Thaillandier
Henri Thibault
Geneviève Vaury
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Opened in Paris in March 1960 as Le trou; in Rome in April 1960 as Il buco. Original running time: 145 min.
Miscellaneous Notes
Limited re-release in United States June 28, 2017
Released in United States 1996
Released in United States 1999
Shown at Seattle International Film Festival (Archival Presentations) May 13 - June 6, 1999.
Last film of director Jacques Becker.
Re-released in Paris October 10, 1990.
Limited re-release in United States June 28, 2017
Released in United States 1996 (Shown at Telluride Film Festival August 30 - September 2, 1996.)
Released in United States 1999 (Shown at Seattle International Film Festival (Archival Presentations) May 13 - June 6, 1999.)
