THE SLEEPING CAR MURDERS (Compartiment Tueurs) National Board of Review award for Best Foreign Language Film (1967) Thriller France,1965 In French with English subtitles 35mm/ Scope/2.35:1/Mono/95 min Written and Directed by: Costa-Gavras Based on a novel by: Sébastien Japrisot Cinematography by: Jean Tournier Editing by: Christian Gaudin Original Music by: Michel Magne Produced by: Julien Derode Production Company: PECF With: Simone Signoret (Eliane Darrès), Yves Montand (Inspector Grazzi), Catherine Allégret (Bambi), Charles Denner (Bob), Pierre Mondy (Police Superintendant), Jacques Perrin (Daniel), Michel Piccoli (René Cabourg), Jean-Louis Trintignant (Eric) Strongly reminiscent of American film noir and adapted from a detective novel written by Sébastien Japrisot (also the author of A Very Long Engagement ), The Sleeping Car Murders is Costa-Gavras’ first film. In charge of investigating the murder of a young girl in a night-train from Marseilles to Paris, Inspector Grazzi (Yves Montand) gathers the five passengers who shared the same compartment. As he interviews them, they are murdered one by one. Costa-Gavras assembled an impressive cast for this successful first film, with some of the greatest actors of the time: Yves Montand (Wages of Fear, Z, Jean de Florette), Simone Signoret (Diabolique, Army of Shadows, Is Paris Burning? ) Michel Piccoli (Contempt, Belle de Jour) and Jean-Louis Trintignant (And God Created Woman, The Conformist, A Man and a Woman). ABOUT COSTA-GAVRAS After studying at the IDHEC film school, Costa-Gavras worked with Henri Verneuil, René Clément, Jacques Demy and Jean Becker as an assistant before writing and directing The Sleeping Car Murders in 1965. He quickly established a personal style with his trilogy Z (1969), The Confession (1971) and State of Siege (1973), winning two Oscars® (Best Film Editing and Best Foreign Language Film), as well as a Best Actor and Jury Prize at Cannes for Z. Confirming this success with Missing (Palme d’Or at Cannes and Oscar® for Best Screenplay), Music Box (1989), Amen (2002) or The Ax (COL•COA 2005), Costa-Gavras has become a household name in politically engaged cinema. Through genres as varied as thrillers, war films or dark comedies, he has produced an impressive body of work exploring History, politics and social issues. Costa-Gavras is currently President of the Cinémathèque Française and Honorary President of the Franco-American Cultural Fund. Film introduced by Serge Toubiana, Director of La Cinematheque Francaise