Cinema
Coup de torchon
Bertrand Tavernier · 1981
Synopsis
French West Africa, 1938. Lucien Cordier is the only policeman in Bourkassa, a small colonial town, and nobody respects him. His wife, Huguette, openly cheats on him with her lover, Nono; the local pimps provoke him in public, and the colonists make him the laughingstock of the village. Humiliated on all sides, Lucien goes to ask his superior for advice, who rebuffs him.
Context
The film adapts Pop. 1280, a crime novel by Jim Thompson published in 1964, moving its action from the American South to colonial Africa in 1938; Tavernier wrote the adaptation with Jean Aurenche. Philippe Noiret plays Lucien Cordier, alongside Isabelle Huppert, Stéphane Audran and Jean-Pierre Marielle. Released on 4 November 1981, the film received numerous César nominations.
Who it is for
A little over two hours; a black comedy, light in tone against a background that is not.
Prizes and reception
Nominated for the Oscar for best foreign-language film; Criterion released it in 2026 in Studiocanal's 4K restoration.
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