A King Without Distraction

A King Without Distraction (French: Un roi sans divertissement) is a 1963 French mystery film directed by François Leterrier, adapted from the novel of the same name by Jean Giono, who also wrote the screenplay and produced the picture. Set in the winter of 1843, the story takes place in an isolated mountain village buried under snow. When several little girls vanish one after another, a police captain is sent to investigate. As he searches for the truth, he must contend with the silence of the villagers, the unforgiving landscape and his own inner turmoil. The title is borrowed from a celebrated passage in Blaise Pascal's Pensées. The film was shot in the village of Les Hermaux, on the Aubrac plateau in Aveyron, and stars Claude Giraud — in his first leading screen role — alongside Colette Renard, with Albert Rémy and Pierre Repp in supporting parts. It was released in France on 30 August 1963.