Quelqu'un derrière la porte

Back in the good old days, before the success of "Death Wish" forced him into playing the same role of the angry vigilante over and over again, Charles Bronson was a fine, versatile actor; in this 1971 film, he actually plays the victim of a larger scheme (though he does some victimizing of his own, too), and he's the best - if not the only - reason to see this otherwise static, plodding thriller. Anthony Perkins disappoints as the slightly deranged brain surgeon. The version I saw was in French, though the actors clearly spoke English on the set; this only added to the strangeness of the experience. Oh, and good luck to anyone trying to figure out what the title has to do with anything else. (**)

Outlandish , stagy drama excellently performed by a phenomenal trio . Dealing with a neurosurgeon named Laurence (efficiently performed by Anthony Perkins) who extremely dedicated to his work neglects his cheating wife Frances (Jill Ireland) . As the frustrated , philandering woman accordingly takes a lover, Paul Damien , a French journalist (Henri Garcin) . When he realizes what is going on , Laurence has only one thing in mind : vendetta , and a diabolical idea comes to him . Then he takes a patient , an allegedly killer (Charles Bronson, a cast against type at his 49 years) into his tool for revenge by implanting murderous suggestions into psychopathic amnesia victim , making him believe that Frances is his wife , and after that , instructs him to commit grisly acts . No Memory, No Name , No Conscience! Bronson's Back! This Time He's the Bad Guy . No memory, no name, no mind: This man will act out someone else's insanity and revenge.

This is an offbeat and intelligent drama-suspense with good performances and plenty of plot twists , though some moments resulting to be slow-moving . Based on a short story written by Jacques Robert with adaptation & dialogue from Lorenzo Ventavoli and director Nicolas Gessner himself . Casting is really magnificent with a sensational trio of main actors . Anthony Perkins is very nice as the evil brain surgeon Dr. Laurence Jeffries, a cunning neurosurgeon who implants murderous suggestions , and Jill Ireland is fine as his cheating wife . But is Charles Bronson who steals the show as an amnesiac patient who's used as an instrument of revenge by conditioning him to believe that the adulterous wife is his own and to take the appropriate action . This is an unusual Bronson film , as he casts against type , and he was about 50 years old when he showed up in this picture . It belongs to his period when he played two-fisted characters . As Charles Bronson was at his best period , but it was one of the last movies during Charles Bronson's European phase , combining the American ¨Michael Winner's Death Wish¨series that became him a big star in the US and while playing some 70s westerns ; his westerns made during the 1970s include ¨Chino¨ by John Sturges (1973) , ¨Red sun¨ (1971) by Terence Young , ¨Chato the Apache¨ by Michael Winner (1972), ¨From noon till three¨ by Francis D Gilroy (1976) , ¨Nevada Express¨ by Tom Gries (1975) and ¨The White Buffalo¨ by J. L. Thompson (1977) . The star is partnered by attractive Jill Ireland , his then wife , in fact she previously married David McCallum and often accompanied to Bronson in his films .

The movie displays an atmospheric cinematography by cameraman Pierre Lhomme and appropriate soundtrack by French composer Georges Garvarentz . This uneven motion picture was professionally directed by Nicolas Gessner . He's an acceptable director who has made a few films . As he has shot ¨The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane¨ (1976) his best movie starred by Jodie Foster , Martin Sheen and he directed to Ben Gazzara in ¨Quicker than the eye¨ and to Charles Bronson in this ¨Someone behind the door¨. The film will appeal to Charles Bronson and Anthony Perkins fans. Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable .

Nicolas Gessner :" For close-ups of hands,I usually inserted my own ,because it's an intricate and tricky operation .But obviously ,I couldn't do it with Tony ,because he had such very characteristic hands "

Fluent in French for he had been learning this language since he was hardly four, Perkins would work twice with Claude Chabrol ("le scandale " " la décade prodigieuse") and that director would probably have made a better film than Gessner on a screenplay based on a play (it was performed on stage in France). The English refused to co-produce the film cause the unions refused American stars as the leads ;it was released in both versions , Perkins' voice is heard in both.

But the movie is not bad ,with a good atmosphere ,and ,it helps, several scenes filmed on location on the wild British coast in Folkestone.Perkins is well cast as a shrink , forbidding ,daunting and formidable under his wide smile .

The contrast between the two personalities ,at once in the movie and in real life,is striking : the flanky elegant aristocrat Perkins and the macho sturdy Bronson ,here cast against type ,and a little ill at ease in a part of an amnesiac who becomes a puppet in the doctor's hands .The fact that Mrs Perkins (Jill Ireland)in the film was Bronson's real life wife adds to the confusion of a somewhat far-fetched plot the ending of which is not really satisfying , but they perhaps wanted an open one.The plot ,although intriguing , is not as efficient as Anthony Shaffer's or Agatha Christie's plays .

"The slight tension between them enhanced their performance" Gessner said ;Bronson was distruthful and feared that his director and co-star could lead into doing things he would regret .Anyway it was not easy to cast against type an actor so sure of himself (and who made much more money at the box office).

It met mixed critical reception in 1971,but since it has aged pretty well , thanks to the two principals, whose relationship is fascinating.

Nicolas Gessner adapted well this story from a french bestseller,with two great stars Charles Bronson,and Anthony Perekins.

Now it's really about acting and story,I mean this just could not be a bad movie.

I feel like most of us wanted to see Charles Bronson playing a character we could not decide who is he in this situation.This role shows he's real acting skills are better than what you think.

This film was not just a mirror exercises for him,today when we just crying back real character filling,this film has real right to exist for crime -thriller fans,and all for those wants to see a good drama.

While this is not a feel good movie,you have to understand it's about how important something that now I can not tell you cause,it will hurt your watch.

7/10-recommended.

Bronson's fans would be very surprised ,had they the opportunity to see this Nicolas Gessner movie.He's not here the he-man they expect.He plays an amnesiac,caught like a fly in a cobweb by shrink Perkins.In this kind of thriller ,Perkins' "psycho prestige" works and it makes the audience feel he's watching a Hitchcock ersatz-which is not that much bad after all,a Hitchcock ersatz may be much better than a genuine X....... thriller.The main problem lies in the fact that most of the time,it seems like a filmed stage production.Hitchcock could easily get away with such works as "the rope " or "dial M for murder".Gessner has not his genius and his directing becomes sometimes ponderous. Hitchcok's lessons will be much better applied on "sleuth" ,Mankiewicz's triumph the following year,and to a lesser degree,on Penn's "dead of winter" (1987).

Late Jill Ireland plays the female part ,as it was often the case in those days,as far Bronson movies were concerned.Nicolas Gessner continued his work with American actors on his follow-up which would be a long time coming (late seventies) "la petite fille au bout du chemin" (the little girl who lives down the lane)and featured Jodie Foster and Martin Sheen.It was probably his best .Then he worked abroad without great success.His most notable work was for French TV "le château des oliviers " (early nineties,with Brigitte Fossey)which gained the audience's approval.