Originally titled Nous Sommes Tout des Assassins, We Are All Murderers was directed by Andre Cayette, a former lawyer who detested France's execution system. Charles Spaak's screenplay makes no attempt to launder the four principal characters (Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoinine Balpetre, Julien Verdeir): never mind the motivations, these are all hardened murderers. Still, the film condemns the sadistic ritual through which these four men are brought to the guillotine. In France, the policy is to never tell the condemned man when the execution will occur--and then to show up without warning and drag the victim kicking and screaming to his doom, without any opportunity to make peace with himself or his Maker. By the end of this harrowing film, the audience feels as dehumanized as the four "protagonists." We Are All Murderers was roundly roasted by the French law enforcement establishment, but it won a special jury prize at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Genres:
Marcel Mouloudji as René Le Guen
Raymond Pellegrin as Gino Bollini
Antoine Balpêtré as Dr. Albert Dutoit
Julien Verdier as Bauchet
Claude Laydu as Philippe Arnaud
Georges Poujouly as Michel Le Guen
Jacqueline Pierreux as Yvonne Le Guen (version française)
Lucien Nat as L'avocat général
Louis Arbessier as L'avocat du tribunal pour enfants
René Blancard as Albert Pichon
Léonce Corne as Le colonel instructeur
Henri Crémieux as L'avocat de Bauchet
Jean Daurand as Girard, l'homme dans la cabine téléphonique
Yvonne de Bray as La chiffonnière
Guy Decomble as Un inspecteur
Monette Dinay as La femme de Charles
Yvette Etiévant as L'épouse de Bauchet
Juliette Faber as Francine Saulnier
Paul Faivre as Biribi
Anouk Ferjac as Agnès
Paul Frankeur as Léon
Renée Gardès as La mère Le Guen
Jérôme Goulven as Noblet
Jean-Pierre Grenier as Docteur Detouche (version française)
Elisabeth Hardy as La mère de la petite fille
François Joux as Saulnier
Alinda Kristensen as La femme suédoise
Benoîte Labb as
Charles Lemontier as Le procureur
Roland Lesaffre as Le détenu-coiffeur
Liliane Maigné as Rachel
Daniel Mendaille as Un gardien
Eliane Monceau as L'amie de Dutoit
Jacques Morel as Charles
Jean-Paul Moulinot as Le directeur de la Santé
Amedeo Nazzari as Docteur Detouche (version italienne)
Line Noro as Madame Arnaud
Marcel Pérès as Malingré
André Reybaz as Le père Simon
Alexandre Rignault as Le gendarme
Yvonne Sanson as Yvonne Le Guen (version italienne)
Louis Seigner as L'abbé Roussard
Solange Sicard as La mère d'Agnès
Sylvie as Laetitia Bollini
Georges Tabet as Le pianiste
Jean-Marc Tennberg as Fredo
André Valmy as P'tit Louis
François Vibert as Maître Mousset
Henri Vilbert as Mr. Arnaud
Edmond Ardisson as Un garde (uncredited)
Doudou Babet as Un taulard (uncredited)
Frédéric Bard as Un taulard (uncredited)
Paul Barge as Le chauffeur (uncredited)
René Berthier as Un monsieur (uncredited)
Charles Bouillaud as L'agent (uncredited)
Made by edimario