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Poster for The Watchmaker of St. Paul

The Watchmaker of St. Paul

1974 · 105 min

A quiet, observational drama that slowly reveals a father's grief and moral resolve, with a low-key thriller pulse.

Overview
Michel Descombes is a watchmaker who lives in Lyon with his teenage son Bernard. When the police visit and inform him that Bernard has killed a man and is on the run with a girl, Michel realises that he knew far less about his son than he thought.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • family
  • parenthood
  • grief
  • identity
  • justice
Places
  • big city
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour2
Realism8
Romance2
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller, drama, crime
Directed by
Bertrand Tavernier
Written by
Bertrand Tavernier, Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost
Starring
Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort, Jacques Denis, Yves Afonso, Julien Bertheau, Jacques Hilling, Clotilde Joano, Andrée Tainsy
Music
Philippe Sarde
Cinematography
Pierre-William Glenn
Runtime
105 min
Country
France
Languages
French

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