La Menace is a French-Canadian film directed by Alain Corneau, released in 1977.
It was partly shot in Bordeaux and Blaye in the Gironde.
The Story
Dominique Montlaur runs a road transport company near Bordeaux, efficiently assisted by his lover Henri Savin. The latter has just fallen in love with a young Canadian woman, Julie Manet.
One evening, a violent interview opposes the two women and Dominique, shortly afterwards, throws himself from the top of the citadel tower.
Dominique's death is considered a crime in the eyes of the police.
In addition, Henri inherits the victim's fortune, and Julie is charged. To save her, Henri will elaborate a scenario by fabricating multiple proofs of his guilt.
His plan works perfectly and, just as Commissioner Waldeck releases the young woman, Henri flies to Canada.
There, he drives trucks and meticulously organizes his own death so that the news will appear in the French newspapers.
He organizes an attack of which he is both the victim and the aggressor.
Pursued by the truck drivers who had been alerted, he manages to phone Julie to arrange a meeting in Melbourne.
But caught in his own trap, he is crushed in his car by two trucks.
Julie waits at the airport hoping in vain for Henri's return.
The casting and the rewards
The actors: Yves Montand, Carole Laure, Marie Dubois, Jean-François Balmer
Waterfalls performed by Rémy Julienne and his team.
César for Best Supporting Actress for Marie Dubois and nomination for Césars for Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Jean-François Balmer in 1978.
Filming Secrets
La Menace is one of the detective films made by Alain Corneau in the 1970s, such as "France, societe anonyme" (1975), "Police Python 357" (1976), "Série noire" (1979) and "Le Choix des armes" (1981). The rest of his career is more eclectic, from historical films (Fort Saganne, 1984) to musical drama (Tous les matins du monde, 1991), the adventure film "Le Prince du Pacifique" (The Prince of the Pacific),...
La Menace marks the second collaboration between Yves Montand and Alain Corneau after "Police Python 357" (1976). The two men will meet again in 1981 for "Le Choix des armes", a new detective story.
The director Alain Corneau finds on La Menace the screenwriter and novelist Daniel Boulanger, with whom he had co-written Police Python 357 a year earlier.
The filming of La Menace, which took place over three months, notably in Bordeaux and Blaye in the Gironde, was completed in Canada. For a month, the team settled in Canada to give the last half of the film an atmosphere that Alain Corneau wanted in total contrast with the rest of the work.
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