Iranian Iradj Azimi directed this French historical drama re-creating events depicted in the famous 1819 painting The Raft of the Medusa by Jean Louis Andre Theodore Gericault (1791-1824). The ill-fated voyage of the frigate Medusa begins when it departs Rochefort for Senegal in 1816. After striking a sandbar off the African coast, 150 civilians row safely to shore, but Captain Chaumareys (Jean Yanne) orders 140 soldiers and sailors onto a raft (minus supplies) and has it cut loose. Only 14 survive from the 140, creating a scandal back in France. Gericault (Laurent Terzieff) later talks to three of the survivors while researching his painting. Work on this film began in 1987, but sets destroyed by Hurricane Hugo caused delays, so the film was not completed until 1990. However, it then remained undistributed until an incident in which writer-director Azimi slashed his wrists in front of French Ministry of Culture officials.
Credits
Le radeau de la Méduse Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Rufus
He was 55, now 81 years old
|
as Harmonica |
|
Jean Desailly
He was 77, 87 years old when he died
|
as La Tullaye |
|
Daniel Mesguich
He was 46, now 71 years old
|
as Coudein |
|
Jean Yanne
He was 64, 69 years old when he died
|
as Chaumareys |
|
Philippe Laudenbach
He was 62, now 88 years old
|
as Julien Schmaltz |
|
Laurent Terzieff
He was 63, 75 years old when he died
|
as Théodore Géricault |
|
Claude Jade
She was 49, 58 years old when she died
|
as Reine Schmaltz |
|
Alain Macé
He was 52, now 78 years old
|
as Coudein |
|
Marie Matheron
She was 39, now 64 years old
|
as la cantinière aveugle |
|
Stephanie Lanoux
|
as Mlle Schmaltz |
|
Victor Garrivier
He was 66, 73 years old when he died
|
as Richefort |
|
Laurence Hamelin
She was 9, now 35 years old
|
as la cantinière |
|
Michel Baumann
He was 52, now 78 years old
|
as Maître d'équipage |
Le radeau de la Méduse Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Iradj Azimi as Director. He was 56 (now 82) years old
|
Directing |
|
Iradj Azimi as Producer. He was 56 (now 82) years old
|
Production |
|
Iradj Azimi as Screenplay. He was 56 (now 82) years old
|
Writing |
|
Pierre Dupouey as Director of Photography. He was 45 (now 71) years old
|
Camera |
|
Walther van den Ende as Director of Photography. He was 51 (now 76) years old
|
Camera |
|
Georges Klotz as Editor. |
Editing |
|
Jacques Douy as Production Design. He was 74 (86) years old when He died
|
Art |
