Argent des autres (l’)

Genre: workplace drama

With: Jean-Louis Trintignant (Henri Rainier), Catherine Deneuve (Cécile Rainier), Claude Brasseur (Claude Chevalier d'Aven), Michel Serrault (Miremont), Gérard Séty (De Nully), Jean Leuvrais (Helldorf), François Perrot (Vincent), Umberto Orsini (Blue), Michel Berto (Duval), Francis Lemaire (Torrent), Juliet Berto (Arlette Rivière), Michel Delahaye (Bignon)

Director: Christian de Chalonge

Screenplay: Pierre Dumayet and Christian de Chalonge (adapting Nancy Markham’s novel)

Release: 1978

Studio: Fildebroc, Société Française de Production et de Création Audiovisuelles, Les Films de la Tour et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

‟When they fired me, they shook my hand and thanked me. How about you?”

  

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Story-line: having been summarily dismissed by the Miremont De Nully Helldorf Bank, Henri Rainier goes to a recruitment agency for help. He explains that he quit his job for moral reasons and that, as a loan officer, he had little say about which clients the bank would accept as borrowers. During a second interview, he admits that he lied initially and that he lost his job because of a messy matter involving a high-profile client. What is behind all this? Does Henri really know?

Pluses: solid acting by Jean-Louis Trintignant (as a distressed man fighting for his professional life), convincing performances by a cold Michel Serrault, a stalwart Catherine Deneuve (in a crucial role) and Claude Brasseur (as a risk-taking entrepreneur), irreproachable direction, an intelligent and increasingly tense screenplay that nurtures a real sense of paranoia and features a splendid bunch of villains, impressive cinematography, fine production values, an anxiety-driven musical score and an appropriate conclusion. 

Minuses: the screenplay may seem unfocused at one point – as it shows Henri’s equally unfocused attempts at vindication – but one glorious turn of events gives it renewed energy and urgency. Some movies hinging on complex financial maneuvers are confusing but this one isn’t; it posits rather clearly how Henri found himself in a devilish situation. As for the title, it simply means ‟Other People’s Money”.

Comments: a winner of 2 Césars (Best Film and Best Director) and the Prix Louis-Delluc, L’ARGENT DES AUTRES is a soulless but realistic and useful illustration of white-collar mischief. In some ways, it even prefigured real-life financial scandals that would come to the fore later on, notably during the Great Financial Crisis. As such, it gives a valuable lesson and a warning to all employees who see their rights in the workplace threatened or thwarted.   

 

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