An actor who stars in a popular TV series is trapped in a strange hotel.
Des yeux par milliers braqués sur nous is a black and white 85-minute fantasy TV movie produced by ORTF (Office de radiodiffusion-télévision française) and aired by its Première chaîne on February 27, 1971. A sniper targets a soccer match when he's arrested by a commissaire at the end of an episode from a series. Its star, Raymond, drives to join a couple of friends in the countryside. His car breaks down and he disappears while searching for help. The actor wakes up in an
ultra-modern hotel where time runs faster, balconies are enclosed by a
transparent glass wall and guests walk around in circle inside the hotel when they
want to stroll.
The employees are invisible though their work is always done. Much to Raymond' surprise, no guest ever feels the need to go outside. TV sets in the rooms broadcast the wildest dreams of the clients and the lift never goes beyond the first floor. Only one man seems to have some answers and he shows Raymond that they are observed. "Raymond" is played by Raymond Souplex (1), first known for the radio sitcom Sur le banc (1937-1940, 1949-1963) and, from 1958 to his death in 1972, for the role which made him a TV superstar: Commissaire Antoine Bourrel in the detective series Les Cinq Dernières Minutes (1958-1996). Des yeux par milliers braqués sur nous was written by Henri Grangé (2) and André Maheux, who worked on Les Cinq Dernières Minutes until 1964-1965. After that, they wrote the ORTF drama hit L'Homme du Picardie (1968).
Alain Boudet, who helmed Des yeux par milliers braqués sur nous, was one of the great directors of RTF (Radiodiffusion Télévision Française) and its successor ORTF. His film Le navire étoile (1962), written by Michel Subiela, was the first science-fiction programme made for French television. Boudet directed the fantasy TV movie Bouclage (1968), that he wrote with his frequent collaborator Christian-Daniel Watton, and three episodes of Michel Subiela's fantasy anthology Le Tribunal de l'impossible (1967-1974). Henri Grangé et André Maheux imagined Des yeux par milliers braqués sur nous with Raymond Souplex in mind (3). The most famous actor of French television admitted he couldn't escape the celebrity brought by Les Cinq Dernières Minutes. The scene where Raymond asks the director if he could play a bishop is inspired by a real anecdote (4).
The guests of the hotel are named after characters from episodes of Les Cinq Dernières minutes penned by Grangé and Maheux. The duo often tries parody, particularly after someone is murdered and one of the clients happens to be a real commissaire played by Guy Tréjean. Tréjean was Commissaire Lambert in the crime drama Allô Police (1966-1970). Except the exercice de style of the scriptwriters doesn't add up with the vision of director Alain Boudet, itself limited by the budget constraints and the shooting of two-thirds of the movie at the Cognacq-Jay studios. The constant feeling, justified or not, that Des yeux par milliers braqués sur nous was influenced by The Prisoner and The Twilight Zone is puzzling. In any case, it's easy to spot nods to Fritz Lang and Franz Kafka. Eventually, the film wants to be too many things simultaneously.
Jacques Debary (The director) and Marc Eyraud (Monsieur Grisolles), co-starred in the relaunched Les Cinq Dernières Minutes between 1975 and 1991. Also with Jean Leuvrais (Cazères), Jean Daniel (Poujol), Anna Gaylor (Madame Grisolles), Jacqueline Jefford and Fulbert Janin (Les Bretenoux), Catherine Rich and Van Doude (Les Dennevy), Françoise Bonneau and Guy Naigeon (Les Crégut), Jean Clarieux, Liliane Gaudet, etc. Pierre Gout is the production manager. Cinematography by Louis Miaille. Editing by Guy Fitoussi and Françoise Bac. Production designed by Jean-Baptiste Hughes and Constantin Hagondokoff. There is no original music, nor sound illustration. Des yeux par milliers braqués sur nous and the episodes of Les Cinq Dernières Minutes from 1958 to 1991 are available on Madelen, the streaming service of INA.
(1) The character is credited as "Raymond" but an assistant calls him "Monsieur Souplex".
(2) Sometimes spelled "Henry Grangé".
(3) (4) Télé 7 Jours N°566 (February 27, 1971).
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