Stavisky

In 1974 Alain Resnais directed the French-Italian biographical drama Stavisky. It tells the story of Alexandre Stavisky, a financier and embezzler who stood at the centre of a major political scandal in 1930s France, and of the circumstances behind his mysterious death in 1934. The screenplay was written by the Spanish author Jorge Semprún. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and Charles Boyer won awards for his performance at both Cannes and the New York Film Critics Circle.

Jean-Paul Belmondo plays Stavisky, with Anny Duperey as his wife Arlette. The story follows the collapse of a man who lived lavishly and built a fortune on fraudulent deals worth millions. The affair that erupted after his death became known as the Stavisky Affair: fatal riots broke out in Paris, two prime ministers resigned and the government of the Third Republic changed. The cast also includes François Périer, Michael Lonsdale, Claude Rich, Gérard Depardieu and Niké Arrighi.

The film was shot in French and runs about two hours. Its music was composed by Stephen Sondheim; together with Resnais's direction and Semprún's script, it carries a real scandal and the atmosphere of its era to the screen.