The Savage State

Story

Synopsis

L'Etat Sauvage is based on the novel by Georges Conchon which won the highly esteemed Prix de Goncourt. The story chronicles the mindless racism of both the departing French colonial overlords and the emergent black Africans in a newly emerging African state. Laurence (Marie-Christine Barrault) suffers the outrage of her white acquaintances, including her former lover Gravenoir (Claude Brasseur) and her ex-husband Avit (Jacques Dutronc), for her affair with Patrice Doumbe (Doura Mane), an official in the new government. He in turn is ridiculed by his fellow cabinet ministers for stepping out with a white woman. The vilification escalates to such a point that Patrice is brutally murdered, and Laurence barely escapes the country alive, with the help of her ex-husband Avit.

Director

Francis Girod

Writers

Francis Girod, Georges Conchon

Language

French

Country

France

Release date

18 April 1978

Ensemble

Cast

• 

  Marie-Christine Barrault

  Laurence Laurençon

• 

  Claude Brasseur

  Gravenoire

• 

  Jacques Dutronc

  Avit

• Doura Mané

  Patrice Doumbe

• 

  Michel Piccoli

  Orlaville

• Baaron

  Modimbo

• Umban Gomez de Kset

  Kotoko

• 

  Jean-Baptiste Tiémélé

  Gohanda

• 

  Rüdiger Vogler

  Tristan

• Peter Bachelier

  Renard

• 

  Philippe Brizard

  Paul

• Pierre Walker

  Swiss Minister