The Wall
At our invitation, Francesca Bozzano, the Director of Collections at the Cinémathèque de Toulouse, has curated a varied selection of short and feature films from their catalog. This program includes ten screenings ranging from silent cinema, experimental films, and animation to underground, documentary, and classic films, with several restorations done by the Cinémathèque de Toulouse or from elements preserved in their vaults.
The plot of Sartre's short story, adapted by Serge Roullet, is simple: three men spend their last night in a cell before being shot. The essence of the film lies in the emotional tension during this unbearable wait. Made at the age of 40, The Wall is the first feature film by Serge Roullet, who was Robert Bresson's assistant on The Trial of Joan of Arc. His method of writing and working has much in common with Bresson's: non-professional actors, static shots, a sense of detail, silences and gazes.
Serge Roullet
Serge Roullet is a French filmmaker and writer. Coming from Charente families of winemakers, industrialists, and shipowners in La Rochelle, he experienced a troubled adolescence during the Occupation of France (1940-1945). At 20, he decided to devote himself to cinema and to accept any job that would help him learn to direct films. Over the decades, he wrote articles, scripts, and short stories, produced and directed a dozen short films, and shot five feature films, including The Wall (Le mur, 1967) based on a collection of short stories by Jean-Paul Sartre, and Benito Cereno (1971) based on a short story by Herman Melville.