Witness in the City
| Witness in the City | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Édouard Molinaro |
| Written by | Pierre Boileau Thomas Narcejac Gérard Oury Georges Tabet André Tabet Alain Poiré Édouard Molinaro |
| Produced by | Henry Deutschmeister Moris Ergas Alain Poiré |
| Starring | Lino Ventura Sandra Milo Franco Fabrizi |
| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Edited by | Monique Isnardon Robert Isnardon |
| Music by | Barney Wilen |
Production companies | Franco London Films Paris Union Films Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont Tempo Film Zebra Films |
| Distributed by | Gaumont (France) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Italy) Constantin Film (W. Germany) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Countries | France Italy |
| Language | French |
Witness in the City (French: Un témoin dans la ville, Italian: Appuntamento con il delitto) is a 1959 French-Italian crime thriller film directed by Édouard Molinaro and starring Lino Ventura, Sandra Milo and Franco Fabrizi.[1][2] It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios in Paris and on location across the city. The film's sets were designed by the art director Georges Lévy.[3] Its score was written by Kenny Dorham.[4] It has been classified as a film noir.[5]
Synopsis
Discovering that the man his wife had been having an affair with has murdered her by throwing her off a train, the businessman Ancelin takes revenge by killing him. However he is spotted leaving the scene of the crime by a taxi driver. Although unaware of what he has seen, Ancelin believes he needs to murder this potential witness as well.
Cast
- Lino Ventura as Ancelin
- Sandra Milo as Liliane
- Franco Fabrizi as Lambert - le radio-taxi de nuit
- Jacques Berthier as Pierre Verdier
- Daniel Ceccaldi as Le client du taxi italien
- Robert Dalban as Raymond - un chauffeur de taxi
- Jacques Jouanneau as Le loueur de voitures
- Micheline Luccioni as Germaine - une radio taxi
- Ginette Pigeon as Muriel - la prostituée
- Janine Darcey as La propriétaire de l'hôtel
- Françoise Brion as Jeanne Ancelin
- Geneviève Cluny as La speakerine
- Joëlle Janin as Une standardiste
- Nicole Alexandra as Une standardiste
- Claire Nicole as Une standardiste
- Martine Messager as Une standardiste
- Paul Bisciglia as Un chauffeur de taxi
- Henri Belly as Louis dit Petit Louis
- Michel Etcheverry as Le juge d'instruction
- Alain Nobis as L'auteur de l'accident avec Verdier
- Jacques Monod as L'avocat de Verdier
- Jean Lara as M. Catherine
- Gérard Darrieu as Pierre - le collègue d'Ancelin
- Jean Daurand as Bernard - un habitué du café
- Charles Bouillaud as Un chauffeur de taxi ami de Raymond
- René Hell as Grand-père
- Billy Kearns as Le soldat américain
References
- ^ Bessy & Chirat p.340
- ^ Rège p.743
- ^ https://www.unifrance.org/film/7297/un-temoin-dans-la-ville
- ^ "Kenny Dorham Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & Mor..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ Wager p.82
Bibliography
- Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. Histoire du cinéma français: 1956-1960. Pygmalion, 1986.
- Grant, John. A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir: The Essential Reference Guide. Rowman & Littlefield, 2023.
- Rège, Philippe. Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1. Scarecrow Press, 2009.
- Wager, Jans B. Jazz and Cocktails: Rethinking Race and the Sound of Film Noir. University of Texas Press, 2017.