Just Before Nightfall

Just Before Nightfall (French: ''Juste avant la nuit'') is a 1971 film written and directed by Claude Chabrol, based on the novel of the same name by Edward Atiyah. Audran won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role at the 27th British Academy Film Awards.

Plot

Charles Masson (Bouquet), an advertising executive, is having an affair with Laura (Douking), the wife of his best friend, world-renowned architect François Tellier (Périer). Their sex life consists of sadomasochistic behavior, and in one of their heated sessions, Charles accidentally strangles Laura. Completely confused, Charles leaves the borrowed apartment in Paris and runs into François at a nearby bistro. The two drive back together to Versailles, where they have beautiful adjoining houses designed by François. The owner of the apartment had seen Laura and Charles together two months earlier, but she does not tell the police because of François. Even though the police do not seem to have any clues to the crime, Charles has a difficult time coping with the situation, and tries to lead a normal life with his two children and loving wife Hélène (Audran).

Principal cast

Actor	Role
Stéphane Audran	Hélène Masson
François Périer	François Tellier
Michel Bouquet	Charles Masson
Jean Carmet	Jeannot
Henri Attal	Cavanna
Dominique Zardi	Prince
Celia	Jacqueline
Marina Ninchi	Gina Mallardi
Anna Douking	Laura Tellier
Michel Duchaussoy	Un homme à l'enterrement (uncredited)

Critical reception

Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 1/2 out of 4 stars:

Just Before Nightfall is one of Chabrol's best films on his favorite theme. He has, it turns out, a great deal more to say about his characters than we think at first... The film's last half-hour provides a series of moral reverses that leaves us, too, puzzled about what's right and what's wrong: Who but Chabrol could take such a straightforward crime as murder and make it seem less contemptible than the need for absolution?

Mike Sutton of The Digital Fix:

It’s a fascinating study in guilt which avoids most of the obvious narrative avenues, deciding instead to explore the way an individual deals with his guilt and the manner in which the revelation of his crime is dealt with by those around him... Chabrol’s direction is immaculate, holding the viewer with a grip of iron, and his script contains some memorable dialogue.

External links

• Just Before Nightfall at IMDb
• Just Before Nightfall at AllMovie