Before the Deluge (1954)

Before the Deluge (1954) - Drama Movies 138 minutes. Antes del diluvio, Antes do Dilúvio, Før syndfloden, Ennen vedenspaisumusta, Özönviz elött, Prima del diluvio, Na ons de zondvloed, Przed potopem, Før syndfloden, Vor den Sintflut. The title of this French "reality" drama, which translates to Before the Deluge, is a play on Louis XVI's famous prognostication, "Apres moi, le deluge." Set in 1950, the film concentrates on five Parisian adolescents. Certain that the next war will herald the apocalypse, the youngster make plans to run off to a desert island and set up a new society. This, however, will require money, which is why the boys decide to pull off a "necessary" robbery. Idealism collapses in the face of cold reality, as the five youths suffer from the consequences of their actions. Avant le Deluge was one of a group of films cowritten by director Andre Cayatte and Charles Spaak which endeavored to explore the touchy social issues of the day: others in the Cayatte-Spaak canon include the euthanasia-themed Justice est Faite and the capital-punishment tract Nous sommes tous des assassins.