Survivor's Law

1958 year . Stan Krol, nicknamed Kalmyk, is a war veteran in Indochina and an adventurer. He made a fortune by digging fabulous treasures somewhere in Asia with two friends. During their trip, one of the companions was killed, and now Krol decides to visit his friend’s grave in Corsica . Upon returning to Ajaccio , another Corsican friend, Galinetti, invites him to a mysterious mansion guarded by ferocious dogs. Once inside the house, Krol meets Helene, a young woman who, without objection, surrenders to anyone whom the landlord sends her. When Krol notices Helen's inexplicable fear, he goes back to that house to buy the girl back. But the owners of the house refused to sell it, and he decides to steal it. They manage to escape, while Krol kills the dogs. Soon, the lovers feel persecution from the inhabitants of the mansion, but Kalmyk manages to teach Helen to cope with her panic. He also tells her that the hardest thing is to overcome the fear of death. Then their pursuers provoke him to a duel, but not because of Helen, but because of the killing of dogs. With great difficulty, he emerges victorious. But at the moment when he is finally going to leave Corsica with Helen, a character appears with a mask on his face - the main inhabitant of the mansion, which Helen once gave out to the Germans from cowardice and who now, disfigured, forces her into prostitution in retaliation. He gives young people freedom, but tells Kalmyk the whole truth about Helen. She runs away and climbs onto the parapet of the fortress wall. Kalmyk, who went in search of Helen, sees her from below. He silently watches her. She rushes into the void ^[1] .

The Law of the Survivor is the directorial debut in the movie of the prose writer Joseph Damiani, better known as Jose Giovanni . Giovanni's film is an adaptation of the second part of his novel " Adventurers" ( French Les Aventuriers ). On the basis of the first part of the book in the same year, director Robert Enrico ( Fr. Gino Robert Enrico ) made a film of the same name with Alain Delon in the title role. Giovanni was dissatisfied with Enrico's directorial interpretation, and his own version was not conceived by him as a sequel .

The picture of Robert Enrico was shot in the genre of adventure film , while Giovanni created a kind of restrained intellectual thriller , unlike his subsequent, more commercial production.

The hero of the film " Law of the Survivor" by the name of Stan Krol in the novel by Giovanni, as well as in the film "Adventurers" with Lino Ventura in this role, is named Roland Darban ( FR. Roland Darbant ). This character was borrowed by the author from his first biographical novel “ Hole ” ( French: Le Trou ) and has nothing to do with his prototype.

Along with professional actors: Alexandra Stewart ( French Alexandra Stewart ), who played in the film Helene, and Roger Blenom ( French Roger Blin ), who played the role of Pao, the jailer and participant of the Resistance , Giovanni invited the former athlete to the main role of Stan Krol Michelle Constantin, whom he knew from the film adaptations of his novels The Hole and The Gorlopany. Participation in the film will be an important event for his future cinematic career.

• Michelle Constanten : Stan Krol, or Kalmyk
• Alexandra Stewart: Helen
• Edwin Moatti: Maria, Sister Pao
• Roger Blen : Pao, a member of the Resistance
• Albert Danyang: Galinetti
• Jean Franval: The Gardener
• Frederick Lambre: Brother Pao
• Daniel Musmann: Brother Pao
• Christian Barbier

• Director: Jose Giovanni
• Screenplay and dialogue: Jose Giovanni , based on his novel Adventurers ( Gallimar , 1960 )
• Producer: Vera Belmon
• Director of Photography: Georges Barsky
• Sound Engineer: Antoine Bonfanti
• Composer: Francois de Roubaix
  • Song "Elles ne se referment plus":
  • music: Francois de Roubaix
  • verses: South Ofre and Vlin Buggy ( fr. Vline Buggy )
  • performed by: South Ofre
• Installation: Lily Biro
• Technical Control: Paul Vecchiali

• Original title: La Loi du survivant
• Title in Russian: Law of the Survivor
• Duration: 1 h. 40 min. (100 min.)
• Genre: Drama , Thriller
• Screen Format: 2.35: 1
• Film format: 35 mm ( Techniscoscope)
• Sound: mono
• Color: color (Eastmancolor)
• Location: Corsica ( France )
• Filming: from September 5 to October 26, 1966
• A country :   France
• Premiere:   France , April 19, 1967
• Original language: French
• Production: Stephan Films - SNC

• The Law of the Survivor on the Internet Movie Database   (as of 07/21/2016)
• La Loi du survivant on allmovie   (as of 07/21/2016)

Recursions

• Le Film Guide - Willems Henri - La Loi du survivant (1967) (link not available )