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Bertrand Tavernier's 1973 filmmaking debut, The Clockmaker, is a strikingly
sophisticated piece of cinema. Regarded by many as the most important French
director of his generation, ex-critic Tavernier (Sunday In The Country, Coup De Torchon, 'Round Midnight, Capitaine Conan) enlisted New Wave veterans
Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost to collaborate on this screenplay (based on
the novel by Georges Simenon) about a tranquil man whose life is
shattered when he learns that his son is wanted for murder.
Philippe Noiret (Il Postino, Cinema Paradiso, Zazie Dans Le Metro) -- a regular
in Tavernier's early work and often considered his on-screen alter ego -- is
superb as the eponymous watchmaker who struggles to emerge from his
self-willed solitude. Noiret's portrayal of restrained suffering is both
brutal and beautiful as he deals with the reality of events and attempts to
establish meaningful communication with his son. In the otherwise quiet town
of Lyons, the promptings of a sympathetic police commissioner (Jean
Rochefort) and a superficial media add to the burden on Noiret's shoulders.
The Clockmaker is Tavernier's first triumph, an exquisite exercise in
emotional and ambient authenticity, and a subtle study of the parallels
between parenting and government.
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"Fine, precise, very moving...a startling combination of old and new
talents." - Vincent Canby, The New York Times
"The Clockmaker is a masterpiece...a great thriller and a journey of spiritual discovery...an exciting and touching movie." - Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe
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