Head Against the Wall
Head Against the Wall (French: La Tête contre les murs) is a 1959 French drama film directed by Georges Franju which stars Pierre Brasseur, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Anouk Aimée, and Charles Aznavour. Called The Keepers on its English release, the story follows an aimless young man who is institutionalized for defying his wealthy father, and in the process airs several questions about how society defines and treats mental illness.
| Head Against the Wall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Georges Franju |
| Written by | Book author: Herve Bazin Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Mocky |
| Starring | Pierre Brasseur Paul Meurisse Jean-Pierre Mocky Anouk Aimée Charles Aznavour Jean Galland |
| Music by | Maurice Jarre |
| Cinematography | Eugen Schüfftan |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Plot
François, motherless son of an influential lawyer, has no qualifications, and no job. To mix with rich and superficial friends, he has borrowed money that he cannot repay. In desperation, he breaks into his father's desk, steals his cash, and wantonly burns his legal documents. Rather than call in the police, with the connivance of a doctor, his father has him committed to an isolated psychiatric hospital in the country.
There, he discovers that many of the inmates are not seriously deranged, but that Dr Varmont, the head of the institution, is a man of rigid views. Two friends he makes are Lenoir, a criminal hiding from gangland revenge, and Heurtevent, a gentle epileptic. To his joy, on the first Sunday, he has a visitor: This is Stéphanie, a girl he met on his last night of freedom, who knows he is not insane and urges him to get a grip of his life. His father visits after he tells Dr Varmont he wants to be reconciled, but the meeting is a failure, and release seems remote. With Heurtevent, he breaks out, but when his friend collapses in an epileptic fit, the two are re-captured. In despair, Heurtevent hangs himself.
As the hospital cemetery is outside the walls, François plans another escape during the funeral. Lenoir gives him an address in Paris where he can get a bed and a job. Making a successful getaway, he calls at the address to find it is an illegal gambling den. Unsure if that is a world he wants to be in, he goes unannounced to Stéphanie's room, where she welcomes him, and they spend the night together. In the morning, two plainclothes men call, to be told by Stéphanie she knows nothing of his whereabouts. As soon as they have gone, François slips out, and, caught by them on the stairs, is rushed back to the asylum.
Cast
- Pierre Brasseur as Dr. Varmont
- Paul Meurisse as Dr. Emery
- Jean-Pierre Mocky as François Gérane
- Anouk Aimée as Stéphanie
- Jean Galland as Maître Gérane
- Thomy Bourdelle as Colonel Donnadieu
- Jean Ozenne as Comte Elzéar de Chambrelle
- Charles Aznavour as Heurtevent
- Rudy Lenoir as the stashed
- Roger Legris as Decauville the driver
- Henri San Juan as the patron of the pool
- Édith Scob as the crazy singer
- Max Montavon as internal to the refectory
- Luis Masson as the internal
- Luc Andrieux as a nurse
- Jacques Mancier as the man with the gun
- Pierre Mirat as a guard
- Henri Poirier as the priest
- Jacques Seiler as a nurse
Soundtrack
| Ma Période Française | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | February 2005 |
| Genre | Film music |
| Length | 71:11 |
| Label | Play Time |
Long after the film's original release, in February 2005, the French soundtrack record label Play Time released the soundtrack on compact disc, along with other soundtracks performed by Maurice Jarre. This also includes soundtracks from other Franju films, including Eyes Without a Face and Thérèse Desqueyroux.[1]
Track listing
All music is composed by Maurice Jarre[1].
| No. | Title | {{{extra_column}}} | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Générique / Surprise-partie" | La Tête contre les Murs | 4:30 |
| 2. | "Thème de Stéphanie" | La Tête contre les Murs | 4:30 |
| 3. | "Enterrement à l'asile" | La Tête contre les Murs | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Générique" | Eyes Without a Face | 2:05 |
| 5. | "Thème romantique" | Eyes Without a Face | 2:50 |
| 6. | "Filature" | Eyes Without a Face | 1:23 |
| 7. | "Des phares dans la nuit" | Eyes Without a Face | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Valse poursuite" | Eyes Without a Face | 1:45 |
| 9. | "Final" | Eyes Without a Face | 1:01 |
| 10. | "Générique" | Thérèse Desqueyroux | 1:54 |
| 11. | "Non-lieu" | Thérèse Desqueyroux | 1:35 |
| 12. | "Thérèse Desqueyroux" | Thérèse Desqueyroux | 2:50 |
| 13. | "La femme idéale" | Les Dragueurs | 2:36 |
| 14. | "La ballade des dragueurs" | Les Dragueurs | 2:47 |
| 15. | "Surboum chez Ghislaine" | Les Dragueurs | 2:01 |
| 16. | "L'oiseau de paradis" | L'Oiseau de Paradis | 2:48 |
| 17. | "L'univers d'Utrillo" | Un court-métrage de Georges Régnier | 4:44 |
| 18. | "Générique" | Le Soleil dans l'œil | 2:28 |
| 19. | "Thème" | Mort, où est ta Victoire ? | 3:30 |
| 20. | "Valse de Platonov" | Recours en Grâce | 3:50 |
| 21. | "Les animaux (générique)" | Les Animaux | 1:20 |
| 22. | "Pavane des flamands roses" | Les Animaux | 2:43 |
| 23. | "La fête" | Les Animaux | 2:18 |
| 24. | "Surf des loutres" | Les Animaux | 1:59 |
| 25. | "Mourir à Madrid" | Mourir à Madrid | 4:21 |
| 26. | "Générique" | Week-End à Zuydcoote | 2:28 |
| 27. | "Sergent Maillat" | Week-End à Zuydcoote | 3:10 |
| 28. | "Final" | Week-End à Zuydcoote | 1:29 |
| Total length: | 71:11 | ||
References
- "Anthologie 80ème Anniversaire" (in French). FGL Productions. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
