the Crab-drum is initially a novel written by Pierre Schoendoerffer, published in 1976 at Grasset, for which its author saw himself decreeing, the same year, the Grand Prix of the novel of the French Academy. It was inspired by the life of the commander Pierre Guillaume.

In 1977, Pierre Schoendoerffer adapted itself the Crab-drum for the Cinéma and carried out film of the same name.

Synopsis

Reached of a lung cancer, the commander sees himself entrusting a last command: the Escort ship of Squadron Jauréguiberry of which it is also the last voyage before the reform, and is charged to join the fishermen on the benches of Newfoundland to bring mail and assistance to them. But the commander has another search, enracinée in the French colonial wars.

This search joined the memories of the doctor of the edge and the engineer officer on an ensign of vessel which one called the Crab-Drum . The memories and testimonys follow one another, impressed nostalgia and regrets; they evoke this legendary figure which marked all those which knew it, and the fact of wondering about their own life.

Anecdote

The commander Guillaume, which film takes as a starting point, took part in the turning of the Crab-Drum like adviser technical. At the time of the scene of the lawsuit, it so often passed in the field of the camera that Schoendoerffer finished by him requiring to adorn a lawyer dress. Thus Pierre Guillaume was found appearing. There is in particular a close-up on him after the counterpart of the pasha with Willsdorff.

Data sheet

• Title: the Crab-drum
• Realization: Pierre Schoendoerffer
• Scenario: Jean-François Chauvel and Pierre Schoendoerffer, according to the novel éponyme of this last
• Production: Georges de Beauregard
• Music: Sardinian Philippe
• Director of the photography: Raoul Coutard
• Assembly: Long Nguyen
• Film French
• Lasted: 120 minutes (2h)
• Format: Colors (Eastmancolor) - 1,66:1 - mono - 35 mm
• Kind: drama
• Coming out date: November 9th 1977

Distribution

• Jean Rochefort: the Commander is the commander or the " vieux"

• Jacques Perrin: the Lieutenant Willsdorff (the Crab-drum ) It is in fact Enseigne of vessel (in the navy one calls lieutenant an ensign)
• Claude Rich: Pierre, the doctor
• Dawn Clement: Dawn, the nurse with Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon
• Odile Versois: the wife of the bar former gendarme who attended the lawsuit of Willsdorff
• Pierre Rousseau:
• Jacques Dufilho: the Head mechanic known as " the chef"

Rewards

Prizes winner of the César of the cinema 1978 :

• César of the best actor: Jean Rochefort, for the Crab-drum

• César of the best actor in a supporting role: Jacques Dufilho, for the Crab-drum
• César of best photography: Raoul Coutard, for the Crab-drum

Always at the time of César 1978, had been preselected:

for the César of the best realizer: Pierre Schoendoerffer, for the Crab-drum

for the César of the best film: the Crab-drum , realized by Pierre Schoendoerffer

for the César of the best music: Sardinian Philippe, for the Crab-drum

See too

• '' the Crab-drum '' on Internet Movie Database
• '' the Crab-drum '' on Net-Navy

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