The Devil and the Ten Commandments (1962)

Le Diable et les Dix Commandements (English: The Devil and the Ten Commandments) is a French film from 1962 directed by Julien Duvivier that consists of seven sketches (eight in the versions shown in Germany and Japan) played by an ensemble cast that includes Michel Simon, Micheline Presle, Françoise Arnoul, Mel Ferrer, Charles Aznavour, Lino Ventura, Fernandel, Alain Delon, Danielle Darrieux, Jean-Claude Brialy, and Louis de Funès.

The film contrasts a series of human failings with the ever-present hope of redemption and a snake (voiced by Claude Rich) adds the Devil's comments.

Plot

Episode 1 Jérôme, the old handyman at a convent, is warned that he will lose his job if he continues to take the name of the Lord in vain, but is saved when the visiting bishop proves to be an old school friend.

Episode 2 To obtain a beautiful necklace, Françoise succumbs to the wealthy Philip, husband of her friend Micheline. Her husband Georges finds the necklace she had hidden and gives it to Micheline after a happy afternoon together.

Episode 3 Denis, a Jesuit novice, leaves the order to avenge his sister's suicide, which was provoked by Garigny, who seduced her into prostitution and drug addiction. The police tell him that Garigny, if convicted for pimping and dealing, would only get a few years. He arranges to confront Garigny alone and unarmed, but in fact has a concealed shotgun. When he says he is leaving to inform the police, Garigny grabs the gun and shoots him dead. In fact Denis had already alerted the police, who arrest Garigny for murder.

Episode 4 A stranger arrives at an isolated farm, saying that he is God. He gets the grandfather, who had pretended to be paralysed, out of his chair and walking, and then eases the last moments of the dying grandmother. On his way out, he is found by the psychiatric nurses who have been looking for him.

Episode 5 Pierre, a medical student who is nearly 21, has a tense relationship with his taciturn father Marcel and shrewish mother Germaine. Out of the blue, Marcel tells him his real mother was Clarisse, now a noted stage actress. When he visits Clarisse after a rehearsal, she first tries to seduce the handsome young stranger and then, without ceasing to be flirtatious, retreats into vagueness once she is told the truth. Realising that she is not worth his time, Pierre resolves to be a good son to the couple who have brought him up.

Episode 6 Having lost interest in his job as a bank cashier, Didier is told to leave at the end of the week. When a gunman appears at his position, he fills the man's suitcase with notes and coins. He then tracks down the thief, breaks into his apartment, and recovers the case. The thief then tracks him down and, after much argument, the two agree to share the loot. On opening the case, it contains bread, wine, and a sausage. The tramp who had substituted his lunch for the money is arrested for the theft.

Episode 7

From Episode 1, Jérôme and the bishop are enjoying a well-lubricated lunch, after which the bishop has difficulty in remembering what are the Ten Commandments.

Cast

1st episode

Michel Simon : Jérôme Chambard

Lucien Baroux : Monsignor Trousselier

Claude Nollier : Mother Superior

Albert Michel : vegetable seller

Nina Myral : a nun (uncredited)

2nd episode

Micheline Presle : Micheline Allan

Françoise Arnoul : Françoise Beaufort

Mel Ferrer : Philip Allan

Claude Dauphin : Georges Beaufort

Marcel Dalio : jeweller (uncredited)

Claude Piéplu : security guard (uncredited)

Marie-France Pisier : girl at a dance (uncredited)

3rd episode

Charles Aznavour : Denis Mayeux

Lino Ventura : Garigny, the pimp

Maurice Biraud : Louis, police inspector

Maurice Teynac : Father Superior

Clément Harari : Garigny's muscle

4th episode

Fernandel : the madman

Germaine Kerjean : grandmother

Gaston Modot : grandfather

René Clermont : father

5th episode

Alain Delon : Pierre Messager

Danielle Darrieux : Clarisse Ardant

Madeleine Robinson : Germaine Messager

Georges Wilson : Marcel Messager

Roland Armontel : Mercier

Hubert Noël : Clarisse's lover

Dominique Paturel : actor

Gaby Basset : Clarisse's dresser

Raoul Marco : actor

6th episode

Jean-Claude Brialy : Didier Marin, the bank clerk

Louis de Funès : Antoine Vaillant, the bank raider

Noël Roquevert : police inspector

7th épisode

Michel Simon : Jérôme Chambard

Lucien Baroux : Monsignor Trousselier

Reception

According to the US critic Bosley Crowther, only one of the seven episodes tickled him, that in which Louis de Funès and Jean-Claude Brialy star.

See also

The Ten Commandments (1956 film)

References

External links

The Devil and the Ten Commandments at IMDb

The Devil and the Ten Commandments (1963) at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Der Teufel und die zehn Gebote at the defunes.de

Bosley Crowther, Le Diable et les Dix Commandements, The New York Times, October 15, 1963

The Devil and the Ten Commandments at Rotten Tomatoes