Details

Release year: 1973

Storyline

A group of men go to a villa in the French countryside where they resolve to eat themselves to death.

Top credits

Directors

Marco Ferreri

Writers

Cast

Marcello Mastroianni — Marcello
Michel Piccoli — Michel
Philippe Noiret — Philippe
Ugo Tognazzi — Ugo

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Did you know

• In the final scene in the garden - where Philipe is sitting on the bench, there is a poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney written on the bench. Many garden lovers have this poem written in their gardens. It says: "Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on earth."

• For the role of 'Andréa', director Marco Ferreri had very definite ideas, he wanted a plump and buxom actress. One of his assistants spotted Andréa Ferréol, then unknown to the general public, at the theater. "I was called at 9 o'clock one morning, I did not know Ferreri at all, but I knew the other actors," says Ferréol. At the first meeting, she was immediately excited about the role, only she had to grow a lot: "I represent the woman, the sister, the mistress, the angel of death. This woman understood that they wanted to die and decided to accompany them. I said to myself: 'This role I will have', and I started to eat," she recalls, amused. When the young woman finally meets the director, she cheats a little to put all the chances on her side: "At this meeting, naughty that I was, I had put three sweaters to make bigger and boots. I still had to gain 25 kilos in two months. With his wonderful Italian accent, he simply asked me if I could gain more weight. Of course I could!" She was finally hired. Alain Coiffier took charge of negotiating the actress' rather unusual contract: "She was paid for each additional kilo she gained, with medical follow-up, and afterwards we had to take charge of a weight loss program. Ferreri regularly invites her to the restaurant to control her diet and asks her to change her hair color. No sooner said than done. "Redhead, 85 kilos, I was ready."

• Andréa Ferréol said Marcello Mastroianni had an erection during filming. "It was in the scene where he takes me from behind," the actress recalls. "Nothing to be ashamed of and I can even say that now. When I realized that something was happening to Marcello, I pretended not to worry about it so as not to embarrass him"