Le radeau de la Méduse
5.8
Iranian Iradj Azimi directed this French historical drama re-creating events depicted in the famous 1819 painting The Raft of the Medusa by Jean Louis Andre Theodore Gericault (1791-1824). The ill-fated voyage of the frigate Medusa begins when it departs Rochefort for Senegal in 1816. After striking a sandbar off the African coast, 150 civilians row safely to shore, but Captain Chaumareys (Jean Yanne) orders 140 soldiers and sailors onto a raft (minus supplies) and has it cut loose. Only 14 survive from the 140, creating a scandal back in France. Gericault (Laurent Terzieff) later talks to three of the survivors while researching his painting. Work on this film began in 1987, but sets destroyed by Hurricane Hugo caused delays, so the film was not completed until 1990. However, it then remained undistributed until an incident in which writer-director Azimi slashed his wrists in front of French Ministry of Culture officials.
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Cast
13 people
Jean Yanne
Chaumareys
Known for
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Weekend
Daniel Mesguich
Coudein
Known for
Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion
Love on the Run
Claude Jade
Reine Schmaltz
Known for
Stolen Kisses
Topaz
Philippe Laudenbach
Julien Schmaltz
Known for
Ad Vitam
Of Gods and Men
Alain Macé
Coudein
Known for
Danton
Rufus
Harmonica
Known for
Amélie
HIP - High Intellectual Potential
Victor Garrivier
Richefort
Known for
French Kiss
The Returned
Michel Baumann
Maître d'équipage
Also in
Little Marcel
Châteauvallon
Laurent Terzieff
Théodore Géricault
Known for
The Milky Way
Woman in Chains
Jean Desailly
La Tullaye
Known for
The Soft Skin
The Professional
Marie Matheron
la cantinière aveugle
Known for
Come Undone
The Returned
Laurence Hamelin
la cantinière
Known for
The Moth Diaries
Iradj Azimi Director · Carl Davis Composer Ricardo Aronovich Cinematographer
United States release July 15, 1998 · Produced in France · Production Utopia Productions
Production
Gémaci
Production
Utopia Productions
Production
France
Produced in
Languages
Original language
French
Spoken on screen
French
Release dates
United States · July 15, 1998
Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.