Before the Deluge

Before the Deluge — Plot

The title of this French "reality" drama, which translates to Before the Deluge, is a play on Louis XVI's famous prognostication, "Apres moi, le deluge." Set in 1950, the film concentrates on five Parisian adolescents. Certain that the next war will herald the apocalypse, the youngster make plans to run off to a desert island and set up a new society. This, however, will require money, which is why the boys decide to pull off a "necessary" robbery. Idealism collapses in the face of cold reality, as the five youths suffer from the consequences of their actions. Avant le Deluge was one of a group of films cowritten by director Andre Cayatte and Charles Spaak which endeavored to explore the touchy social issues of the day: others in the Cayatte-Spaak canon include the euthanasia-themed Justice est Faite and the capital-punishment tract Nous sommes tous des assassins.

• Release date
• February 26, 1954
• Runtime
• 138 min
• Genres
• Drama
• Director
• André Cayatte

Before the Deluge — Cast

Antoine Balpêtré Albert Dutoit Paul Bisciglia Jean-Jacques Noblet Bernard Blier Marcel Noblet Marina Vlady Liliane Noblet Jacques Chabassol Jean Arnaud Clément Thierry Philippe Boussard

J

Jacques Fayet Richard Dutoit Roger Coggio Daniel Epstein