| Love at the Top | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Le Mouton enragé |
| Directed by | Michel Deville |
| Screenplay by | Christopher Frank |
| Based on | Le Mouton enragé by Roger Blondel |
| Produced by | Léo L. Fuchs |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Claude Lecomte |
| Edited by | Raymonde Guyot |
| Music by | Saint-Saëns |
| Production companies |
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| Distributed by | S.N. Prodis |
| Release dates |
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| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | French |
Love at the Top (French: Le Mouton enragé, lit. 'The Rabid Sheep') is a 1974 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Michel Deville from a screenplay by Christopher Frank, based on the 1956 novel Le Mouton enragé by Roger Blondel.
Plot
Nicolas Mallet is a modest bank employee resigned to social mediocrity for the security that his job gives him. Introverted and dull, with the assistance and under the guidance of a former high school friend, novelist Claude Fabre, he will become a confident seducer, an opportunist upstart with no defined ambition. In the aftermath of the oil crisis, the Bel Ami of the 1970s experienced a remarkable social rise, relying exclusively on women whom he seduced almost unwittingly, while being remotely guided by Fabre. Going to seek power from those who rule him, knowing how to make himself indispensable, he will succeed in his ascent and favor that of his first conquest. It is only at the end of the film that we discover the real reasons behind Fabre's manipulative attitude.
Cast
- Jean-Louis Trintignant as Nicolas Mallet
- Jean-Pierre Cassel as Claude Fabre
- Romy Schneider as Roberte Groult
- Florinda Bolkan as Flora Danieli
- Jane Birkin as Marie-Paule
- Henri Garcin as Berthoud
- Michel Vitold as Georges Groult
- Jean-François Balmer as Vischenko
- Dominique Constanza [fr] as Sabine
- Betty Berr as Sylvie
- Georges Beller [fr] as Marie-Paule's friend
- Estella Blain as Shirley Douglas
- Mary Marquet as M Hermens
- Georges Wilson as Lourceuil
- Gisèle Casadesus as M Lourceuil
References
- Brennan, Sandra (2016). "Love at the Top". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
External links
| Films directed by Michel Deville | |
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- 1974 films
- 1974 comedy-drama films
- 1970s French-language films
- 1970s satirical films
- Films based on French novels
- Films directed by Michel Deville
- Films set in Paris
- Films shot in Paris
- French comedy-drama films
- French satirical films
- Italian comedy-drama films
- Italian satirical films
- 1970s French films
- 1970s Italian films
- 1970s French film stubs
- 1970s comedy film stubs