Underplayed Gems

A King Without Distraction (1963)

A King Without Distraction poster
Original title
Un roi sans divertissement
Directed by
François Leterrier
Genre
drama film, mystery film
Country
France
Runtime
1h 25m
Rating
7.7 of 10 from 7 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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The catalogue in 3D

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How it feels

A police captain looks into the disappearances of several little girls from a village in 1843. He finds himself drawn into the isolated community and its dark secrets.

coldsuspensefulslow-burnbleakmelancholicatmospherictensecontemplative

What happens

A King Without Distraction (French: Un roi sans divertissement) is a 1963 French mystery film directed by François Leterrier, starring Claude Giraud and Colette Renard. The story is set in the winter of 1843 and follows a police captain who investigates the disappearance of several little girls from a village. The film is based on the novel Un roi sans divertissement by Jean Giono. The title quotes Blaise Pascal, "Qu'on laisse un roi tout seul sans aucune satisfaction des sens, sans aucun soin de l'esprit, sans compagnies et sans divertissements, penser à lui tout à loisir, et l'on verra qu'un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères." (Pensées, 1670, posth.). It was shot in the village Les Hermaux, on the Aubrac plateau in Aveyron. It was Claude Giraud's first leading role in a film. It was released in France on 30 August 1963. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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