Douze heures d'horloge (1959)
Directed by Géza von Radványi

Film Review

The Hungarian writer, producer and film director Geza von Radvanyi found success in mainstream cinema through his European co-productions.  After some neo-realistic dramas depicting the ravages of war in the 1940s, Radvanyi changed tack in 1953 with L'Étrange désir de Monsieur Bard and had a hit with his remake of Jeunes filles en uniforme in 1958, which starred newcomer Romy Schneider.  By the 1960s, he had gravitated to big budget productions like La Hutte de l'oncle Tom and Le congrès s'amuse, but these included some notable failures.  In 1970, surprisingly, he originated the script for a successful Louis de Funès film L'Homme orchestre, but after a scripting a few crime dramas, his career came to an end in the 1980s.

But let's get back to 22/4/1959, the date of the Paris premiere of a Franco-German drama called Douze heures d'horloge.   The story is about three escaped prisoners facing a twelve hour wait to recover their freedom. This movie is a curious low budget production, slightly unbalanced by a French and German cast.  After a promising start, in which the situation are characters are clearly defined in a script by Boileau and Narcejac (of Les Diaboliques fame), the film heads down various alleys in an attempt to fill out the twelve hours in question.  If the flow of the story is uneven, the coastal landscapes are beautifully captured by Henri Alekan's photography.  Another plus is the score, written by none other than Leo Ferre, an icon of the chanson française.

Lino Ventura heads an international cast as Fourbieux, the rogue with a kind heart.  Laurent Terzieff is wasted in the role of Kopetsky, a part that does not do justice to his talents.  The British-Hungarian actress Eva Bartok is perfect as the beautiful Barbara, a woman imprisoned in both the past and the present.  The German actor Hannes Messemer (seen in John Sturges's The Great Escape) plays Serge, an impassive man ready to sacrifice his freedom for love, while the impressive and colourful Gert Froebe (a.k.a. Goldfinger) revels in the role of the disreputable crook Mr. Blanche.  Suzy prim, a well-regarded actress from her debut in 1910 right up until her swan song in in Henri Verneuil's Le Corps de mon ennemi (1976) brings character to the part of Madame César.  The supporting cast includes Guy Tréjean, Ginette Pigeon, Gil Lidal and Lucien Raimbourg (Bourvil's brother).

All in all, Douze heures d'horloge is a commendable work with some obvious defects but also some less readily apparent strengths.  This less well-known picture in Lino Ventura's career should be appreciated by his fans if only for the many great films of his that it prefigures.   At the time, the film had only a mitigated success with an audience of 0.98 million.  This rare movie is now available on DVD.

Film Synopsis

Having escaped from a prison in the South of France, three convicts waste no time finding a boat that will take them to a foreign country. Albert Fourbieux, Serge and Kopetsky have just twelve hours to procure the money and passports that will allow them to make good their escape.  The only problem is that it is the 14th of July and the whole village is immersed in the customary celebrations.  Fourbieux attempts to obtain passports through his friends, Monsieur and Madame César.  Injured, Kopetsky must stay in hiding, but he is determined to get in touch with his girlfriend, Barbara...