Loosely based on Honoré de Balzac's 1830s novel 'L'Histoire des
Treize', this film recounts the exploits of a secret society consisting
of thirteen men, transposed to Paris in 1970. Several individuals
and groups of individuals who have no obvious connection are presented
to us. We overhear snatches of conversations that merely add to
the mystery. Finally, it emerges that these are all pieces in a
jigsaw puzzle, each having a connection to the mysterious secret
society...
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.
Continental Films, quality cinema under the Nazi Occupation
At the time of the Nazi Occupation of France during WWII, the German-run company Continental produced some of the finest films made in France in the 1940s.
It was American film noir and pulp fiction that kick-started the craze for thrillers in 1950s France and made it one of the most popular and enduring genres.