Summary
Some time after he was falsely accused of the murder of his stepfather,
Yan returns to his home village in Flanders. Franz, the local
garage owner is not happy with his return. Before he died, Yan’s
stepfather was going to give him financial support in the construction
of a new racing car and Frantz remains convinced that Yan killed
him. Despite the cool reception he receives, Yan is at least
welcomed by two of the villagers, the vicar and his best friend, Gus
Van Dorneck, the owner of a thriving timber business. With the
support of Gus and his wealthy mother, Yan finds employment and a
chance to start a new life. Gus has a fiancée, Maria, an
Italian beauty who lives at the Van Dorneck house. Maria is all
set to marry Gus when she sees Yan and realises that he is the man for
her. One night, whilst alone in Gus’ house, Yan yields to Maria’s
entices, not knowing that in doing so he is betraying his one true
friend...
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)
Review
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- Best of the French New Wave
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- The best 100 French films
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Related links
- The best French thrillers
- Other French films of the 1960s
- The best French films of the 1960s
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- Biography and films of Ivan Govar
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Credits
- Director: Ivan Govar
- Script: Alain Cavalier, Maurice Clavel, Jean-Claude Dumoutier, Ivan Govar
- Photo: André Bac
- Music: Serge Nigg
- Cast: Jackie Blanchot, Karlheinz Böhm (Gus), Tony Buller, Alain Cuny (Count), Christine Darvel, Max de Rieux, Marie Dubois (Nell), Guy-Louis Duboucheron, Roger Dumas (Sylvain), Giani Esposito (Yan), Gabriele Ferzetti (Abbe), Marcel Gassouk, Marika Green, André Lucas, Pascale Petit (Maria), Jacques Richard, Michel Risbourg, Marc Robert, Madeleine Robinson (Van Dorneck), Daniel Royan, Claude Sauvejot, Michel Servet
- Country: France / Belgium
- Language: French
- Runtime: 90 min; B&W
- Aka: Cross of the Living
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To buy La Croix des vivants:

Drama / Thriller


